Please be seated!
Exercise is essential for everyone, however sometimes we have to modify the ‘how’ and ‘where’ of it to suit our current situation or physical status. I’ve personally suffered from a number of injuries over the years that have been totally incapacitating and forced me to alter my physical activities for a time. For some people though, a quick recovery may not be the case and alternative forms of exercise may need to be considered.
One option is chair based exercises, this is a great way to stay active for people who are having problems with their mobility, for instance if you are recovering from back, hip or knee surgery, suffer with chronic conditions such as arthritis or osteoporosis, or have a long term illness, disability of some kind, or even just a low level of fitness. It helps build activity levels gently without causing stress and strain on the major joints, it will assist weight management and promote cardiovascular wellbeing by raising the heart rate.
You can do this type of exercise at home or if you can get to a class you can enjoy a sociable experience as well. Many local authorities provide classes and certain eligible participants may be able to go for free. Look into ‘Exercise referral schemes’ for information or ask your Doctor about getting a referral.
Another option to try is Pilates. Joseph H. Pilates, the man who invented ‘Contrology’ or what we now call Pilates, developed much of his work by rehabilitating the infirm using the pulleys attached to their hospital beds as resistance apparatus to work the muscles of their limbs. Today this amazing style of Pilates is known as Reformer work.
A popular and more easily applied form of Pilates is Mat based Pilates, which can be adapted to suit different levels of fitness and abilities. It is always advisable to seek out professional guidance for both reformer and mat based Pilates exercise, especially if you have health concerns.
– This article has been published in the November edition of Life Magazines – http://www.lifemagazines.co.uk