5 Easy-To-Do Exercises to Help You Stay Active if You Have Limited Mobility
Physical activity is crucial for maintaining your health and well-being. Regardless of your mobility limitations, you should try your hardest to get your recommended daily amount of activity. Yet, when you have limited mobility and are looking for ways to stay active, it can be a challenge. Nonetheless, exercising with limited mobility is possible, so read on…!
Thankfully, there are many ways individuals with low mobility can incorporate exercise into their daily routines. To help you get started, we’ve created this article detailing several easy-to-do exercises to help you maintain your fitness levels, improve flexibility, and enhance overall mobility.
From seated cardio exercises to chair yoga – keep reading to learn more, including how a rollator might help provide additional confidence and support if you are at an early stage of exercising with limited ability.
Seated Cardio Exercises
Cardiovascular exercises are essential for heart health and overall fitness, as these activities can help make your heart stronger, burn calories faster, and many other health benefits. Even with limited mobility, you can engage in seated cardio exercises to get your heart rate up.
Examples include seated marching, bicycle kicks, or armchair dancing. These exercises help improve circulation, boost endurance, and elevate your mood.
When incorporating these exercises into your routine, consider purchasing a rollator to provide support and stability while walking and performing various activities.
Nowadays, you can find various rollators to suit your needs and comfort, featuring accessories such as handles, storage areas, and a seat. The added stability and support while performing these exercises allow you to maintain proper form and maximize your workout.
If you’re yet to buy a rollator, consider visiting the website of providers such as Rollz Mobility, which supplies and designs a range of mobility aids. From all-terrain rollators to rollator/electric wheelchair combos, many websites provide an entire catalogue of mobility aids to help you achieve the recommended daily amount of physical activity (even with limited mobility!) today.
Chair Yoga
Yoga offers numerous benefits, including improved flexibility, strength, and relaxation. However, if sitting, walking, or standing for prolonged periods is challenging, you might find that chair yoga is more suited to your needs. Chair yoga is a modified version of traditional yoga that can be done from a seated position involving gentle stretches, deep breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques.
If you’re familiar with traditional yoga, you’ll be pleased to learn that the poses in chair yoga don’t stray too far away from traditional yoga poses, with some of the most popular seated yoga positions being warrior pose, cat-cow stretch, reverse arm hold, and much more.
Like the above exercise, having a rollator nearby during chair yoga sessions can provide a sense of security and balance, allowing you to focus on your practice confidently. Plus, thanks to our digital era, those who want to practice chair yoga don’t have to leave their homes since they can join online classes or follow internet guides.
Resistance Band Exercises
Resistance bands are versatile and affordable exercise tools that strengthen various muscle groups. Using resistance bands, you can perform seated exercises such as bicep curls, shoulder presses, or leg extensions.
These exercises help build muscle strength, improve joint stability, and enhance overall mobility. A rollator can be particularly useful during resistance band exercises, providing additional support and stability while performing standing or balancing movements.
Seated Balance Exercises
Individuals with impaired vision or limited mobility are susceptible to fall risks and injury, so reducing the chances of this happening is essential. The best way to reduce your risk of falling and injury is by improving/maintaining your balance.
Fortunately, there are many ways to improve your balance with limited mobility, with one of the best being seated balance exercises, which can help improve stability and reduce the risk of falls. These exercises target core muscles and help improve balance and coordination; some of the most popular include seated leg lifts, heel-to-toe taps, or ankle circles.
Like all the exercises on our list, if balancing is challenging for you while performing seated balance exercises, you might benefit from having a rollator nearby, which you can grab in the event of dizziness. As you feel your balance improving, you can practice using the rollator less and less, which gives you a goal to work towards and enables you to track your progress.
Motion Exercises
Motion exercises are designed to maintain/increase joint flexibility, which is vital for helping you regain your balance or get back onto your feet if you trip or fall. These exercises involve moving your joints through their full range of motion, with some of the most popular exercises including shoulder circles, wrist rotations, or ankle pumps.
Adding a range of motion exercises to your daily exercise routine can help preserve much-needed joint mobility, prevent stiffness, and improve overall joint health. Yet, if you find them tricky and need a little extra support, you can use a rollator while completing these exercises, giving you a crutch to balance on while performing standing or reaching movements.