stroke facts for patients

Back to moving.  It’s important to exercise a minimum of 30 minutes/day, but what if all the traditional exercises like: squats, crunches, push ups, running in place, etc are beyond your physical abilities at the moment?  The answer is - fidget!

The 30 minute fidget is best done to music!  Music naturally gets your body moving and makes fidgeting more fun.

If the thought of 30 straight minutes of fidgeting bores you to tears, do 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there, so long as you get in your 30.

Some fidgeting ideas:

1. Twiddle your thumbs! 

2.  Bounce your legs up and down.

3.  Flap your arms (elbows in and out)

4.  Tap your fingers on the table.  Try one finger at a time.  Add variety to your taps!

5.  Shake your feet!

6.   Look side to side, up and down, do head circles.

7.  If you can stand without falling flat - walk or jog in place…even if your feet never leave the floor!  Get those arms swinging and lift your feet up as best you can.  If nothing else, it’s great entertainment for those around you.

8.  Do military presses!  Raise your hands to shoulder level and push up.  Keep doing it!

Are you in a wheelchair?

1.  Do the roll!  Roll yourself forward squeezing your abs tight.  Release your abs and roll backwards! 

2.  Wheelchair dips!  If your chair has secretary arms and you won’t fall out if you raise them up and out of the way - do mini-dips!

Lock your wheels.  Put your hands on top of the tires and push up.  Try not to let yourself drop like dead weight back down.  Push up and hold yourself there for a count of 3.  Build up your holding time.  Use the arms of your wheelchair to do the same thing.  It’s the more advanced level. 

3.  Do the twist!  That was my favourite!  Works the abs really well!

This is just a smidgen of ways to keep yourself moving and obviously fidgeting isn’t going to knock weight off you and turn you into an incredible athlete,  but it’s not supposed to.  The idea is to keep active.  Keep moving.  Keep doing.  Use it or lose it. 

PS: The wheelchair exercises are strengthening exercises and will help you burn more calories.