[jenn2782]

Looking for suggestions on how to get motivated for an at home exercise program. We have no problem starting one but find ourselves falling off track ALOT.

Any suggestions??

[wheels5894]

Sorry... what did you say .... Ah, 'home exercise Programme' ? What on earth might that be?

Oh, OK, cuts th jokes? Right, I cannot 'stand' the idea of exercise, especially as a programme. That's it; no way. However, ...

I do think exercise is highly desirable and something that I do. To explain, I reckon the only way I could manage to get any, though, is to get it in my ordinary life and not make something special of it. After all, why are we exercising in the first place? Well, I want to keep strong to do the important things in life - push the wheelchair, lift the chair, do transfers, oh, and open jars, they do take muscles!

So, it is a hilly 2km into town and shopping for me. So when I don't need much, I roll in instead of taking the car. Same distance back so a 4km of pushing with at least half uphill. Of course being male I never pace things but go for it hammer and tongs to try and reduce my last time! [I never benefited from rehab but tried the hammer and tongs bit when I fist got a wheelchair. I got to next door before I was finished!]

Clifton Hill is the horrid and steep hill up from Niagara Falls to the hotels of the town. The exercise I got just doing trips to town and back served me well as I climbed Clifton Hill with ease when we were there! It works just as well in the hilly bits of Edinburgh too.

So, why have a programme when you can make exercise part of life? Vacuum cleaning is exercise that is suggested by Weightwatchers as something that will earn extra points. Vacuum cleaning from a wheelchair is, in my opinion, harder that for an AB. So try some of that. Just make life your exercise - it does work!

[hockeydahc]

I have faced the fact I won't stay on target on my own. most people don't or can't, and any equipment you buy...treadmill, elliptical, home gym, bowflex...soon becomes a laundry rack.


I go to a gym.

the post before me was right on though. take another look at ordinary activities, and reassess what the goals are. if the goal is more stamina pushing the chair, the best thing to do...more of that... go for a walk. if it's to lose weight, look more into the foods you eat. if it's general toning and strength your own bodyweight helps a lot. pushups, pullups, squats, crunches, and walking/running/ biking are great and easy. but at home doing those staring at a wall is stagnant. go for a lap around the park. its getting to be great weather for an hour long walk in the evening.

[nomis]

Motivation is driven either by reward or fear.
So your solution is easy:
Find a reward that excites you enough to want to exercise. You have to find your own reward. It may be a specific fitness goal; preparation for a competitive event; or a big plate of cream buns.
Failing that, go for fear. Everyday you miss an exercise session burn $50 in the backyard then bury the ashes; or flagellate yourself with a metal tipped whip.
If you want to exercise, I’m sure you’ll find a way. If not, there’s lots of other things to do that require energy and movement.

[wheels5894]

I have great bit of motivation though it hasn't worked yet. the main roqad out of our town is rather busy so a cycle path has been built that runs the other sid of the hedge. It is abouy 4 - 5 km to the next small village with a rather nice public house. I just have to get my other half to drive there to buy me a pint.

So far it is she who has used the run and me driving the car but soon....

[gsp23]

I used to lift workout 5 times a week before I was disabled. I still workout at home as I find myself maintaining a schedule better at home then going to the gym.

My motivations to keep on exercising:

1) MAIN one is I am a huge Buffy fan so I throw in a Buffy DVD and watch it while I workout. An epsisode is 45min which is the length of one of my workouts. Watching Buffy kicking a$$ and just being so casual and punning while doing it is huge motivation for me.

2) Think about what I want to do and keep those goals forefront. For example, I play sled hockey now and I just want to get better and better and know that working out will help me to become a better hockey play. Hockey being so important to me, I remind myself that working out will help me to be better. I also love to go out and watch my little one (my german shorthair) work a field looking for birds and watch her point birds, so I think about not being able to walk behind her in the field anymore and it gives me motivation to lift weight so I can get stronger and more easily push myself through the fields and tall grasses (not paths but through fields of grass from 3-6 feet tall).