If you have a severe disability, just finding the right exercise program may take some effort on your part.
Let's start with the obvious.
- Ask your doctor if he or she can give you modified forms of exercise to fit your physical limitations.
- Older adults on the reservation, particularly those with a disability, are more likely than the general public to be both overweight and sedentary, that is to not get any regular exercise at all. Once you start exercising, start slowly and don't push yourself.
- Stretch before you do any strenuous physical activity.
- The rate of arthritis and other joint problems increases dramatically with age. Swimming is popular, since it doesn’t put stress on your joints. Although few reservations have a community pool, many have a casino and hotel with a pool. If your community doesn't allow the pool to be used during the day by elders or people with disabilities, see if you can get them to change their policy. Check out our self-advocacy section in this workshop for advice on how to make changes in your community.
Don't limit yourself. If you are in a wheelchair, try wheeling yourself around, using wrist weight cuffs to build arm strength, or find other people in wheelchairs who can shoot hoops with you, using a lower net. Our Spirit Lake Consulting site coordinator at Turtle Mountain is an example. Below is a phot of Willie in his younger days with his wheelchair basketball team. You can read more about his recreation experiences in our December, 2004 issue of the Miniwakan Waonspekiye newsletter.
Willie played basketball in his twenties, in the first decade after his accident. As his career demanded more of his time and he started to be affected by arthritis, in his thirties and forties he switched to pool, becoming a nationally-ranked wheelchair pool player, and to deer hunting.
Physical activity options for adults: Unusual but Interesting