Exercising in your wheelchair

Warm up: Before you begin any exercise, it is important to warm up your muscles. This can be done through gentle stretches, rolling your shoulders, and performing arm circles.

Choose activities that are wheelchair friendly: Depending on the type of wheelchair you use; some activities may be easier and more comfortable than others. Look for activities like wheelchair yoga, weightlifting, yoga, aerobic exercises or wheelchair basketball / netball / badminton.

Concentrate on upper body workouts: Since you can’t do a lot of lower body exercises in a wheelchair, it is important to focus on the upper body. Work on building up strength and endurance through activities like arm curls, dips and shoulder presses.

Use resistance bands and free weights: Resistance bands and free weights can help to further increase your range of motion and add strength to your upper body muscles.

Improve your posture: Sitting in a wheelchair all day can cause your posture to become stiff and rigid, so working on improving your posture can help you to move more easily and stay comfortable while you exercise. Work on improving posture by engaging your core muscles, rolling your shoulders back and performing regular strengthening exercises.

Set reasonable exercise goals: It is important to set reasonable and achievable goals when exercising in a wheelchair to keep your motivation levels up. Aim for gradual progression and focus on the improvement you make over time.

Check out this helpful web page from the NHS for more ideas!