Exercise – the Key to Your Recovery

We get it.  We understand.  Really we do. 

Stroke causes fatigue.  Physical deficits make every task even harder and you tire out quickly.  Your brain burns precious energy just to process information.  EXERCISE?!  Are you NUTS?

We’re so serious and here’s why….

Exercise does miraculous things to the body, the brain, your blood sugar and blood pressure, your endocrine system, your motor skills.   The list is lengthy and well researched.  We aren’t suggesting you sign up for a marathon.  And we know some stroke survivors are left with some physically debilitating deficits.   

 

Making It Work For You

How then is exercise going to be possible?  Simple.  We live in a very adaptable world.  There is an exercise machine for anyone.  There are adaptive gloves, mitts and bands with gripping tools for those hands that aren’t yet working.  You can be one handed and still weight lift.  You can use exercise bands.  You can put an air splint on your entire arm and move it effortlessly to get your shoulder to engage.  You can use a recumbent elliptical bike.  You can join a disabled sports league.  You can use a walking bike.  You can do wheelchair adapted yoga and pilates.  You can go bowling and use the gutter ball guards.  You can play bocci with a ramp built to propel your balls on to the field.  You can use a tripod mounted on your wheelchair leg and practice target shooting.  You can fish from an adapted kayak using a mechanically propelled fishing rod.   There is even wheelchair tennis!  What we are saying is there is no excuse NOT to exercise.

Given the enormous payback two hours of exercise each week yields, you really need to incorporate this valuable tool into your life.  For those requiring maximum assist, start with your PT and OT.   We’ve found that if you set goals including being able to exercise for continued health and to prevent loss of your current abilities, they will submit those goals to insurance and get the sessions covered.  We haven’t found a therapist yet that doesn’t advocate hard to get their clients healthier and more mobile.

Minimum assist survivors can take full advantage of the adaptable equipment out there.  Check with colleges that have PT services to see if they have used equipment or even loan out equipment to those in need.  Each state has a Department of Aging that lists the colleges and agencies offering loaner or used equipment.  You can find that list on our Community – Stroke Survivors Assistance page. 

 

Getting Creative With Your Exercise Regimens

YouTube is a great resource for videos on wheelchair and adapted exercise.  Silver Sneakers is a program offered for free by many insurance companies offering chair yoga and aquatic exercise.  Take advantage of the Senior programs at your local recreation department, YMCA and even some churches.    Our Products – Recommended Reading and Apps page has a link to Tom Balchin’s stroke recovery workbook.  He is a survivor and now stroke advocate who wrote his own blueprint to physical recovery and now shares it with the world.  

One of our favorite exercise methods that has yielded the best results of all is aquatic therapy.  We LOVE the small heated pool with handrails on the perimeter and the 6′ deep well.  It has soothing jets and warm water for aching limbs.  Wrap a flotation belt around you, strap on some water resistant ankle weights and get to work.  Walking with ankle weights really helps the leg.  The buoyancy and weightlessness of the water takes the pressure off your body and lets you move effortlessly.  Even maximum assist or paralyzed survivors will benefit from the warm water as someone gently moves their limbs.  We take the kiddie life vests and pool noodles in with us, using them to keep heavy limbs from sinking and to help glide them on the water surface.  Neuroplasticity is what this is about and even if you can’t actively participate, the brain recognizes movement and starts making new connections.  If your gym doesn’t have a heated pool, no problem.  When we walk laps, we use a wet suit to insulate against the chilly water temperature and water shoes for gripping the floor.  

 

Adding Another Layer to Your Routine

For exercise equipment, check out the Products- Quick Shop page for bands and gloves that help your plegic limbs stay engaged and safe as you exercise.  Weight lifting, elliptical bikes and circuit training just became real possibilities and again, neuroplasticity takes over when you get that body moving.    Personal trainers at the gym or those that come to your home are great additions to your recovery team.  Weekly sessions to show you how to use equipment for muscle targeting is incredibly worthwhile.  Core balance exercises during Pilates and yoga will keep you balanced and walking tall.  

 

Relax – You’ve Got This

Stretching is amazing.  Massage is too.  Incorporating both into your regimen will go a long way in pain relief, connecting the affected side to sensations again and alleviating stiff joints.  We like adding essential oils to our massage routine as they help with circulation, pain and inflammation.  Just be sure you dilute them in a carrier oil so the skin isn’t damaged.  Our Products- Quick Shop page lists air splints that will immobilize heavy limbs so the one doing the stretches can easily manipulate the arm or leg without quickly fatiguing.  Put a stool next to your home massage table or bed and you are set for a magical moment when your realize your muscles remember to move when stretched regularly. 

We hope you believe that we aren’t trying to make your life difficult but to increase your satisfaction in life.  Exercise is so incredibly beneficial and yields great results in a very short period of time.  Give yourself two days of rest each week and do some stretches with a half hour of exercise on the remaining five days.  You’ll be so glad you did. 

 

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