Physical Activity Among Adults with Disabilities
A number of recent studies have found that the prevalence of chronic disease is significantly higher in adults with disabilities than in the general population. This is not surprising given that individuals with disabilities are more likely to be overweight, obese or suffering from chronic diseases, and it has been suggested that people with disabilities may have a different physiological response to physical activity. However, this has not yet been confirmed empirically, and there have been no longitudinal studies of physical activity among adults with disabilities.
A recent study by O’Brien et al. (2013) investigated the association between disability and physical activity among adults with disabilities (i.e., people who are blind or those who use mobility devices). They assessed the relationship between mobility disability and sport participation using a questionnaire developed specifically for the study. The questionnaire included questions about sport participation and activity levels as well as demographic questions about participation in sports and leisure activities at home for individuals aged 18 years and older living in Ontario, Canada. They also calculated body mass index (BMI) at recruitment into the study from self-reported height and weight measurements on subjects aged 18 years or older living in Ontario, Canada.
The results revealed that compared to their peers who were not disabled, those who were disabled had significantly lower BMI values at recruitment into their homes, indicating a greater effect of disability on BMI than expected from self-reported data alone. In addition, they reported statistically significant associations between physical activity levels during leisure activities at home and mobility disability status as well as sport involvement during leisure activities at home after controlling for socio-demographic characteristics such as age, gender and education level.
The Importance of Physical Activity for Adults with Disabilities
In the past, physical activity was a part of life for all people with disabilities. For example, if you were a person with a disability, then your only option was to use whatever you were given as a means of transportation. When you were on crutches or using a wheelchair, you had to sit in front of the television or do whatever it took to get around.
These days there are more accessible ways to get around than ever before, but that doesn’t mean we have forgotten about our original purpose: to move around and enjoy life as comfortably and painlessly as possible. The list of things that people with disabilities can do is very broad – from using public transportation to driving their own cars – but none of these activities require us to take up any new physical activity. It is not uncommon for people with disabilities to lose their jobs due to the dangers associated with driving without seatbelts and other safety measures.
Still, there is so much more that can be done. Not only can we take an active role in making sure our physical activity is safe and effective (i.e., by always wearing seatbelts), but we can also make sure that every aspect of our lives revolves around moving around and enjoying life as comfortably and painlessly as possible. There are many reasons why this should be so:
• Physical movement releases endorphins which reduce anxiety (and depressive symptoms)
• Physical activity reduces stress levels
• It strengthens muscles which help prevent back problems later in life
• It reduces muscle strain which leads to decreased back pain later in life
• It improves circulation which helps prevent colds and flu due to the release of natural compounds in the blood stream called cytokines • It helps prevent osteoporosis • Active physical activity prevents falls. These are just some examples; hopefully they will spark your curiosity & offer enough support that you want to jump on the bandwagon yourself!
The Benefits of Physical Activity for Adults with Disabilities
Many people have been aware of the physiological benefits of physical activity for children, but fewer have heard of them for adults with disabilities. This article explains how you can help someone with a disability get the benefits that physical activity offers.
A good place to start is by learning about the history of physical activity, how it’s been used in recent years, and how it may be relevant to adults with disabilities.
Several studies have shown that physical activity—which can include anything from walking, to cycling, to swimming—is important for improving overall health and wellbeing. However, not all people with disabilities are able to participate in physical activity at the same level as others; there are significant differences between people who have severe mental or cognitive impairments, who require special adaptations or whose bodies are otherwise disabled.
In this post we’ll look more closely at physical activity and its potential benefits for adults with disabilities:
• What is Physical Activity?
We were keen not to use the word “physical” (as in gym) because it implies goal-orientedness; rather we focused on things that could be done physically without any additional effort or expense at all.
This is just a small sample of what we mean by “physical exercise”:
• Variety – can involve any kind of movement (walking briskly, swimming laps) or even sitting still for long periods (calisthenics). Allowing yourself to move does not mean spending hours at a desk; just allowing yourself to move every few minutes is enough.
• Cost – although there are many different types of exercise equipment available today (from treadmills and ellipticals), they all allow you to perform exercise at home (and often much more cheaply than if you went out and bought them), but they don’t make doing so any less fun or challenging! The cost per hour spent exercising is only around $0.50-$1 per hour (or less in some cases), while an equivalent amount spent in public transport would cost $5-$10 per hour!
• Longevity – research has shown that going for daily walks can extend your life by up to 10 years! Although
How to Get Started With Physical Activity if You Have a Disability
For a long time, “physical activity” has been used as a synonym for “exercise”, and that is fine. But physical activity is not the same as exercise. Exercise is an activity that maintains body composition or muscle strength, or boosts mental focus or agility. Physical activity is an activity that improves health and vitality and can be anything from walking to swimming to exercising with resistance or weights.
Sometimes people take a look at physical activity and see some exercise-like activities in there (and also get frustrated by the fact that you can’t do any of those things at home). But this isn’t what’s going on.
The way I define it:
• Physical activity is anything that improves health, vitality, mental focus and/or arousal without being strenuous
• Exercise is anything that mimics the feeling of being physically active (but without any measured impact)
So physical activity includes:
• Walking (active travel)
• Running (active travel)
• Biking (active travel)
• Bicycling (active travel)
• Jogging (active travel)
• Walking in place with weights/resistance…(or doing other passive exercises like yoga/pilates/etc.)
• Exercises with resistance such as weights, machines…(or doing other active exercises like yoga/pilates/etc.)
• Exercises like yoga where you have to hold yourself in a certain position…(or doing other active exercises like yoga/pilates/etc.)
• Exercises where you have to do something specific…(or doing other active exercises like yoga/pilates/etc.)
This definition assumes that most of your time spent physically active should be spent in activities which are moderately strenuous (which means relatively aerobic). That may be true if you are sedentary — but I am quite confident it shouldn’t be if you work out regularly — especially if you are a gym rat or otherwise spend a lot of time lifting heavy stuff. So how do we know how much strenuous? We can use the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines for aerobic exertion . The ACSM recommends 150 minutes per week for adults aged 18-65 years old who work at least 20 hours per week , but less than 40 hours per week in sedentary pursuits . That amount will vary depending on your metabolism , so
Tips for Staying Active If You Have a Disability
One of the key questions we didn’t address was: what is it that makes some products much more accessible than others?
Our answer: physical activity.
Here are a few tips on how to buy something new, and it isn’t too shady.
1) It’s not a good idea to buy something new (physical or otherwise) if you can’t come back to your old one. You may never find another model for the same price again! It is also a bad idea if you need some time to think about your purchase. Learn about all the specs before you buy, ask friends or family members for feedback, ask yourself if your needs are being met now or if you need them better in the future.
2) Don’t buy stuff that comes in a box. Boxes often contain only accessories (such as chairs) but they add bulk and weight when they arrive. It’s better not to deliver boxes than it is to deliver furniture in a box!
3) Don’t buy anything just because its “bigger” or “better” than something else — unless its really big or really good! If you don’t know what it does, try using another product first (like Google Chrome or Apple Safari). They all do pretty much the same thing so why not just use one instead of driving yourself crazy trying to figure out which one does what?
Conclusion: Physical Activity Among Adults with Disabilities
I’m not going to sell you on the idea of buying stuff that can be used as a tool for physical activity, or how it can be used as an investment. I’m also not going to recommend against buying things that can be used as a tool for physical activity, because (a) there are products out there that do exactly that, and (b) if you want something that is not just helpful but also fun and interactive, the Internet is the place to look.