One in two individuals with disabilities get no aerobic activity. Individuals with disabilities who get no aerobic physical activity are 50% more likely to report at least one chronic disease, three times more like to have heart disease, stroke, diabetes, or cancer.

Aerobics is defined as a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness (flexibility, muscular strength, and cardio-vascular fitness). Aerobic exercise (also known as cardio) is physical exercise of low to high intensity that depends primarily on the aerobic energy-generating process.  Examples:  walking, , hiking, jogging, rowing, swimming, playing tennis or cycling that stimulates and strengthens the heart and lungs.  Exercise is aerobic if it is preformed continuously for 20 to 30 minutes.

Exercise helps control weight, combat disease, improves mood and brain function, boost energy, promotes better sleep, and can be a fun way to socialize and make friends.

What can you do?  Find and list a few things you like to do, connect those things with physical activities, set small realistic goals, decide where you would like to do the activity, and don’t be afraid to ask a friend or family member to be your workout buddy or to help you stay committed.

Resources:

Disability Exercises: Exercising for Persons with Disabilities https://www.disabled-world.com/fitness/exercise/

Fitness for Everyone: An advocacy guide for people with disabilities https://www.ndcpd.org/assets/ndcpd-cirff-project-fitness-access-self-advocacy-flip-card.pdf

Adapting Fitness for Special Populations

https://www.acsm.org/docs/default-source/fit-society-page/acsm-fsp-17-2-1.pdf?sfvrsn=0

(image description:  11 people are sitting in wheelchairs with their arms raised straight out to their sides up to their shoulder heights. They are doing exercises.  Their is a person at the front leading the exercises.)