PB for disabled persons? page 2

[Lily Marie]

There is no difference, only the amount of food taken in - which is the same for all individuals. We're all different.
If the person is getting little to no exercise(using a manual wheelchair does count) the amount they eat will be less than someone who's body building.
The types of nutrients are all the same, it's the amount that differs.

[iniQuity]

I know nobody in a wheel-chair so I'm not sure if this is doable but would they be able to do any hill work? I mean obviously they could just wheel themselves up, and over time try to do it faster? I think that'd be all the cardio exercise they'd need and it would involve "lifting" heavy things too. I would assume the entire upper body would get a pretty good workout and the individual would be spent even if they can't do it so fast. I'm not sure how well it would work but it's a thought.

[Lily Marie]

That's what I'm working on now. For cardio, I'm going from the front porch, to the back porch(for 30 minutes) - there are two ramps and a long stretch of sidewalk inbetween. It's a nice workout.

If you have all or enough of your upper body control/strength, you should be able to do the heavy lifting exercises - but since people end up in wheelchairs for all different reasons and have all different injuries, it all depends.

People who are in manual wheelchairs usually have pretty strong upper bodies, from using those muscles all the time - without hitting the gym.

[Nion]

Some good stuff, i'll pass it on.

[spakesneaker]

My brother also has spina bifida; he walks with a limp. He doesn't follow PB, but I think diet is even more important for people whose activity is limited, in that they have to be even more strict about not going off the primal plan.

[periquin]

If in a wheel chair, would it be beneficial to travel with a heavy something or other in your lap or attached to the chair?

[TigerLily]

HELLO!

Tell your friend to get his butt over here to MDA!
We've got people on wheels here and at least one person with severe scoliosis who is exercising.

A couple of things that come to mind, from my wheelchair days:

- Water exercise. My community gym has a great pool with a lift to get the wheelchair folks in and out of the water. It is awesome. Alternately, there is also a very long ramp (no stairs) with rails on both sides for those who are somewhat mobile. I used to roll my walker up and park it right at the top of the ramp. To find a setup such as this, stay away from GloboGym and look for a park and recs- or a YMCA-type community gym. Did you know it's possible to do crunches whilst floating in the water without drowning yourself? Look for a class called "Gentle Moves" or something to that effect; there's also aqua yoga. Not all water exercise classes are about bouncing around to annoying techno music.

- Exercise bands. I still use these for upper body work. I've got the yellow one slung over my shower rod as I type this. See YouTube for a plethora of strengthening ideas.


ETA: It's even more critical for us that we keep our bodies as free from inflammation as possible. Makes a significant, significant difference.