Weight/Exercise

jascof

Morning all,anyone use local groups for exercise,weight loss etc ? i ask as i have pain and mobility issues and worry about my weight and fitness daily  but find it very hard to get into swimming/gyms or motivation  being quite far from the main town and in a small village,wondered to similar people do online/group meetings  ?

Alex_Alumni

Hello @jascof thanks for reaching out this morning I'm sure you're not alone in wanting to improve your fitness.

NHS Better health has a list of local authority weight management services, which might be worth looking into, as well as plenty of information and resources here as well. 

To keep all our members safe on the community we try not to disclose personal information, like where we live, in too much detail, but hopefully our members can share any thoughts they have on their own experiences. To help with that I've marked your post as unanswered.

Let us know if anything else comes up, please just ask.

Alex

newborn

I discovered a thing called Lets Move with Leon, aimed to include people with arthritis and too immobile or in too much pain to stand up, and others who could stand a bit, hanging on to a chair, so very gentle on your bad days. Short videos, online, so you could pick out a private programme exactly suited to what you can and cannot manage.

Of course you may be far too fit or pain-free to find anything much in it, but at the least, it would boost your confidence to go through them and work out you are better than you thought, and what moves you find easy,  before going to a group  

I do understand what you mean about motivation when alone, but there are two sides to a coin, and if you go to a group which takes it for granted everybody in the world can do ten minutes'worth of star jumps, or go for a lovely two mile run, then it really knocks you back, because these are people who cannot even imagine that disabled people exist...  (or old people)....  We might as well be little green creatures from space, but whatever we are, we are not 'real' humans, like them!

I don't know how you describe that, almost universal attitude in the fitness industry, (aided and abbetted by the sports industry and, to their shame, government and even health departments... but it certainly isn't flattering and it certainly isnt legally compliant with inclusion equalities duties 
(We had a case where a council employee in a fitness centre asked someone on crutches "Can't you read? Theres a sign over the door. Look at us we are all fit. There's nothing in here for you!" )

Alex_Alumni

Hi @newborn thanks for sharing your thoughts, it's interesting that you mention ableism within the fitness industry, I think a lot has to do with society's perception of fitness, and a healthy body meaning a fully able body, which is of course not true. I'm sorry to hear about the person on crutches' experience, it's certainly not an acceptable attitude.

MissMarple

I used to do home workouts with Team Body Project. Their workouts are designed to be doable by absolute beginners, people with health issues etc. There are seated options and they always explain how to modify a move to make it easier or harder. Besides the instructors the workouts feature ordinary team members, some overweight or elderly or really unfit. They emphasise the importance of moving our body and the joy of it instead of focusing on goals or fitness ideals.

jascof

yes my main problem has been that gyms,sports centres even the OT'S health people seem to think everyone can do exactly the same as able bodied people,over the years i have been constantly sent to the same places with the attitude of just get on with it,hence asking here,getting very disappointed being told i need to do this and that but when you get there they have no help or aid for dissabled people,tried some of my local gyms but they actually have no help or advice for anyone apart from able bodied peole    sad times really

Ross_Alumni

jascof said:

yes my main problem has been that gyms,sports centres even the OT'S health people seem to think everyone can do exactly the same as able bodied people,over the years i have been constantly sent to the same places with the attitude of just get on with it,hence asking here,getting very disappointed being told i need to do this and that but when you get there they have no help or aid for dissabled people,tried some of my local gyms but they actually have no help or advice for anyone apart from able bodied peole    sad times really

That sounds very frustrating, though I can empathise. One of the things making me hesitant about joining a gym myself is that it won't be accessible enough or that the staff wont' have the required training to accommodate me. 

MissMarple

I'd been a member of a gym before my disability made it impossible for me to exercise. It was a community gym run by the local council. It was very small, just a room with some basic equipment, but very cheap and empty most of the time. The trainer had plenty of time on their hands and was happy to help. I don't know if there is something similar available in your area. Also, with the weather - hopefully - improving, there may be walking groups. The online directory of your council should have a list of these or you can enquire at your local library. I'm not sure what you accessibility needs are, what would be doable for you.

DavidFord

You can't say there is nothing that can help you. There are some small groups and communities that really doing for the people like you. If you going to richest gym, less guarantee what they provide. But you can't blame everyone for that. All you need to find such places where you can get facilities you want.

jascof

DavidFord said:

You can't say there is nothing that can help you. There are some small groups and communities that really doing for the people like you. If you going to richest gym, less guarantee what they provide. But you can't blame everyone for that. All you need to find such places where you can get facilities you want.

not in a tiny village when you have mobility/pain/fatigue problems ,being able to commit to things dependant on how bad you are day to day 

Biblioklept

have you made any progress finding anything or with exercise since Feb @jascof? 

jascof

hi no i have been going through hospital/docs etc for breathing problems at the moment so concentrating on that for now 

Biblioklept

I hope that gets better soon
I've always found motivation the hardest part to exercise but people say once you get into a habit you feel so good for it that you keep on going. I've never got to that point but maybe there's some truth in it!