By Chris Miller, The Mobility Resource

Anyone that has recently experienced a spinal cord injury may understandably find themselves discouraged or lethargic. But it’s important to remain as active as possible despite limitations.

The question is, of course, what sort of activity can properly be done from a wheelchair? There are certain activities that can be performed depending on your disability and advisement from your doctors or, if you are working with one, a physical therapist.

What Exercise Can I Do?

Cardiovascular

These exercises help with heart rate and endurance. Rowing machines are especially popular among people in wheelchairs, as they provide a great cardiovascular workout while also conditioning the upper body.

Depending on your location, you may find that your local gym not only has rowing machines, but tracks or studios that are designed for wheelchair sprinting. This is a great way to for those recently placed into a wheelchair to get accustomed to using it while also getting a nice workout.

If your doctor allows it, you may also want to look into swimming or, once you’ve gotten comfortable with the wheelchair, some form of wheelchair sport. There are variations of games such as basketball and badminton that are very popular among individuals in wheelchairs.

Muscle Strengthening

Proper strengthening of your muscles is crucial because sitting in a wheelchair can cause excessive atrophy. In terms of muscle toning, it’s suggested that you should work on the muscle groups that are constantly being asked to push your wheelchair forward. Proper training makes these muscle groups less prone to injury.

Strengthening your shoulders and back is key if you want to stay in shape while in a wheelchair. These types of exercises can be done from home using a series of resistance bands. You can also check with your local gyms to see if they have any wheelchair accessible equipment. While at the gym, ask if they know of any local programs or organizations for those with disabilities that are looking to stay active.

Other Activities

As mentioned above, there are various competitive sports you can participate in once you are comfortable with your wheelchair. From fast-paced basketball to leisurely strolls around wheelchair accessible nature trails, there is no end to the physical activities you can partake in.

As you can see, a wheelchair does not have to hinder you at all when it comes to staying active. As long as you can stay within your comfort zone and follow your doctor’s orders, you should have enough physical activities to keep your hands full.

Read More at The Mobility Resource: 7 Surprising (And Odd) Facts About Spinal Cord Injuries

About the author: Chris Miller is the director of interactive marketing for The Mobility Resource, an online adaptive driving marketplace. His team helps people with disabilities regain driving freedom through vocational rehab, veteran affairs and several non-profit and private organizations.

A graduate of The University of Akron, Chris holds a bachelor of arts in public relations and consumer marketing. Prior to his time at The Mobility Resource, he was an account director at a Cleveland-based marketing communications firm. It was there he serviced accounts for major brands including; the Cleveland Wheelchair Cavaliers, Chevrolet, Reebok, ESPN and the U.S. Army. Chris has been published on disability.gov, ADAP.org and blog.NCPAD.org, to name a few.

Born with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a form of muscular dystrophy, he is passionate about all things disability. In his free time, Chris enjoys spending time with his daughter while they dish up amazing meals for friends and family. Say hello to him on twitter @SweetMobility.

Thank you to Jennifer Gorman, content producer at The Mobility Resource for sharing our latest guest post!

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Singer/Songwriter Daryl Holmlund sat down with Jennifer Gorman via skype to talk about his made-for-YouTube song, “No More Wheelchairs.” Gorman is a Content Producer for The Mobility Resource.

When I was a young adult, I knew this neat old couple who in their sweet earnestness would tell me, “I’m praying for you.  I pray that you can be healed.” Thus saying one day I wouldn’t need a wheelchair anymore.

What do you dream about?

I knew their hearts were pure.

Most people gag me when they talk like that. But if you knew Mrs. Rowland, you’d think she was the sweetest thing since apple pie.

So I would just smile and say thank you, then think to myself, in our dreams.

Later in life, as I thought about Mrs. Rowland, it got me thinking, “What would life be like without a wheelchair or more importantly a wheelchair van?”

I knew there had to be others pondering the same question. So I plugged a few keywords into Google.

To my surprise, I came across a song titled No More Wheelchairs.  And I thought to myself, “Oh, here we go.”

I hit play anyway and was punched immediately.  The tune is not only catchy, but also soothing and clear, just enough tempo to have you tapping your toes, your fingers or your nose—whatever it is you can tap.  It’s so catchy, I had to share it with the world.

“No More Wheelchairs” by Daryl Holmlund, isn’t a protest song or a pity party. Instead, it’s a song describing a dream world in which wheelchairs simply aren’t necessary.

After suffering a spinal-cord injury in a 2004 car accident, Holmlund was inspired by Sunday school kids at his church who tried to cheer him.

“They prayed for me and drew me a picture,” he said. “At the bottom, they wrote, Daroll Homelanand – Good Player Guirtar – No More Wheelchores .”

Here’s an excerpt:

When I am deep asleep
sometimes I dream of doing things
that I can’t normally do:
Running, climbing,
jumping, flying –
and sometimes I’m dancing with you.
But no dream ever compares
to when I dream that there are no more wheelchairs!

Despite the daydream he depicts in the song, Holmlund says he never thinks about what life could be like, because he’s too busy living it. He’s a high school teacher in South Central Los Angeles. Most of his students are minorities in low-income households.

“I think it’s a benefit for them to interact with someone who is very different,” Holmlund said. “They’re not used to seeing someone who has a disability and is out and about and that is a positive.”

“Other students with disabilities will sometimes come and hang out in my classroom,” he added. “When I first started, a student in a wheelchair looked at me for a second and said. “Wanna race?’ I said, ‘You’re on, let’s go!”

Holmlund recorded the song on his MacBook Pro, and his brother produced the video.

“He does Internet marketing and he said ‘I love this song!’ so he put together a collage of people inspired by the song.”

I love the song.  So much so, that as I’m writing this I had to turn it on again. It’s really difficult to depict my favorite part of the song. The song is so creative and thoughtful; I refuse to file it under “Just another inspirational disability song.”

A Few Favorite Lines:

Missing limbs are regrown,
spinal-cord patches are sown,
and everyone walks on their own feet.
New legs for Lieutenant Dan (Forrest Gump anyone?)
and Chris Reeve is still Superman!

The video is available along with others on Holmlund’s YouTube channel.

No More Wheelchairs Music Video

He also performed for several years with a band called Sauni’s Big Jump. The group has released two albums; Anything Can Happen and Electronic Christmas, and an EP called Open Road.

His music is available for purchase at www.saunisbigjump.com, iTunes and other digital outlets.

“Anything Can Happen was inspired right after my accident,” Holmlund said. “I was processing a lot of life changes.”

Holmlund doesn’t have a lot of time to make music during the school year, he said, but “I’m always playing recreationally. I’m almost certain I’ll make more music in the future.”

He acknowledges that entertainers with disabilities have become more prominent, citing the movie Avatarand the TV shows Glee and The Glee Project.

“People with disabilities are often seen as a forgotten segment or are stereotyped,” Holmlund said. “Those stereotypes can be broken, but you don’t see a lot of musicians out there with permanent disabilities.”

It was really important to him to be totally independent and to have insurance due to his disability; and that can’t happen right now playing music.

Holmlund doesn’t see his own future as having no more wheelchairs and he’s at peace with that reality.

“I have some friends that do a lot of rehab and try to walk again,” he said. “My goal is to make the world a more beautiful place, where everyone can get around easier and have access to good education and possibilities.”

Daryl Holmlund

“I don’t just want the world to be a better place for me,” Holmlund added. “I’d like to see better access to what people need to be successful. Even though independence wouldn’t be through making music, I’m very passionate about teaching.”

Music and Lyrics provided by Daryl Holmlund

What is in your dream?

Contact Jennifer Gorman of The Mobility Resource and let her know!

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