Mobility & Fitness

If you need to lose weight with limited mobility, it can be a challenge. With limited lower body movement, it can be difficult to get a real workout. Yet, aerobic activity is what you need to lose weight. Getting regular exercise that increases your heart rate and burns calories should be your goal. So, here are some ideas as to how to lose weight with limited mobility. Invictus Active Trainer The  Invictus Active Trainer  is a great way to get an upper-body workout. You can set up this lightweight roller trainer in your home and start exercising. Simply push your chair up the ramps and place your driving wheels on the rollers. Then push, just as you would normally but concentrating on improving your technique. As your stamina and muscles develop you can increase the length of your workout. Also, you can increase the resistance of the rollers, so you have to push harder. With the smart version of the trainer, you can keep track of your workouts. You can monitor your heartbeat and see how many calories you are burning up. This can be up to 350 kcal in just a 30-minute workout. This is a great way to lose weight with limited mobility. If you would like to arrange your FREE, no-obligation home trial click  here. FreeWheel The  FreeWheel  wheelchair attachment clips onto your front footrest and lifts your caster wheels up off the ground. This allows you to pass over surfaces where your casters would normally dig in and make it impossible to continue. That means, that getting out and about in your wheelchair is much more fun. You will find that you will want to spend more time exploring all the new places that you can get to with the FreeWheel. That means, that you will be getting more upper-body exercise as you push yourself to places you never thought you could reach without help. Combine your FreeWheel with off-road wheels and puncture-proof tyres and you will open up even more exercise possibilities. Cross over grass, gravel, sand, wet leaves and many other surfaces without trouble and enjoy the benefits that taking advantage of these increased options can bring to your health. Hand-cycle wheelchair Instead of pushing on the pushrims directly to propel yourself, with a hand-cycle you can get a great upper body workout as you propel. A handcycle attaches to your wheelchair and lets you propel yourself using your arms in much the same way as people riding a bicycle use their legs. Alternatively, the  Quickie Attitude Hybrid handcycle  gives you the option of increasing your exercise potential using it manually, with the convenience of using it to power-assist you to get to more places. Wheelchair sports Wheelchair tennis and other wheelchair sports are fantastic ways to lose weight with limited mobility. You will find yourself moving, stretching, and propelling yourself during a game like never before. You will be so caught up in the game that you will not even notice that you are burning up calories, fat, and so losing weight. Many people who do not need to use a wheelchair every day, but who have limited mobility in their legs, choose to use a wheelchair to exercise and participate in health-giving sport.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

To lose that killer belly fat should be everyone's aim. This visceral fat really is a killer, and to make it worse, it's hard to lose. And, unfortunately for wheelchair users, it is even harder to get rid of than for able-bodied people. Is all fat bad? No, all of us have a layer of fat between our skin and our muscles. This fat is called subcutaneous fat and is essential for normal health. This kind of fat helps to keep us warm and also acts as a shock absorber to protect our bodies. When you pinch your skin, this layer of subcutaneous fat feels soft and malleable. This fat also stores excess calories for when we need them. Visceral fat, however, sits much deeper within the body. It develops around the organs found in the belly area, and this fat feels firm to the touch. As well as storing energy, this type of fat also produces and releases hormones. The effect of these hormones on the nearby organs can cause serious health problems. Why must you lose that killer belly fat? Visceral fat can raise your LDL-or "bad Cholesterol" level. It can also increase your blood pressure. Additionally, it increases your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. There are three very good reasons why you must lose that killer belly fat. How to tell if you have too much visceral fat Your waist measurement indicates the amount of belly fat you have. Take the measurement passing the tape around yourself at the level of your belly button. For men, the maximum measurement is 40 inches -102cm, and for women, it's 35 inches-89cm. You can also calculate the ratio between your waist and hip measurement (WHR). Divide the measurement of your waist by that of your hips. The WCR for men should be less than 1, and for women, it should be less than 0.8. How can I lose that killer belly fat? Aerobic exercise is the only way to get rid of visceral fat. You need to get your heart pumping faster and keep it doing so for a sustained period. You should aim to get your heart rate up to about 60-70-percent of its maximum potential. You can roughly calculate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. By keeping your heart rate at this level you will burn mainly calories from fat. However, you need to keep going for 45 minutes or your body will be burning up sugars and carbohydrates rather than fats. How can I do that in a wheelchair? The Invictus Active Trainer is the best way for a wheelchair user to get this type of aerobic workout. You can use this roller trainer in the comfort of your own home and it is quick and easy to set up. The smart version lets you measure your heart rate and calculate how many calories you burn up in each session. You can also store the details of each workout to see how much progress you are making. Start off with shorter sessions and build up both the resistance and the time gradually. This is not only the best way to lose that killer belly fat in a wheelchair but also o improve your health in general. Call 0800 8321916 or click here to arrange for a free home trial and begin enjoying a healthier, happier life.

Fantastic device that easily attaches to the front of your wheelchair. If you have ever experienced the caster wheels 'digging in' or making life difficult then the FreeWheel attachment is what you need.

• Suitable for nearly all manual active wheelchairs
• Rigid or folding (adaptor needed for folding)
• Get over grass or gravel with ease
• Probably the best wheelchair accessory available!*
• *In our opinion and the 100's of other users

It usually a simple task, you just pop to the bathroom jump on some scales and record your weight - for about £20 you can have a 'smart' set of scales that link to your phone and record this for you. BUT there is one problem, if you use a wheelchair this is just not possible! You can buy wheelchair scales for the home - but why not also contact a local mobility shop in our directory here and ask them if they have scales available too, if would be a great idea if mobility shops had scales available for customers...   [cleveryoutube video="Iekm47-PkUo" style="1"]  

Wheelchair tyres come in various sizes to fit different diameter wheels. So, when you are going to purchase a replacement, or a spare tyre, or inner tube, it is important to make sure that you purchase the correct size. All tyres and inner tubes have identification markings, however, these numbers can be confusing unless you know what they stand for. 24 inch = 540 25 inch = 559 26 inch = 590 The three digits are the metric (mm) size number which indicate the wheel diameter. A tyre or inner tube for a 24-inch wheel will bear the numbers 540, for a 25-inch wheel-559, and for a 26-inch wheel-590. Almost all wheelchairs have wheels of one of these three diameters. The other two digits - such as 25-540 - indicates the tyre width. Most wheelchairs use one-inch wide tyres for normal use on standard wheels and 1 inch equals 25mm. Wider tyres are sometimes used to get an improved grip on the road surface or to provide a softer, more comfortable ride. There are many different treads and technological advances now available in wheelchair tyres so be sure to investigate which is the most suitable for your needs and your budget. Valve type: Most inner tubes for wheelchair tyres have a Schrader valve. This is commonly called a “car valve” as they are the same kind of valve found on automobiles. They are a robust valve with an easily removable core, and the spring closure makes them easy to inflate. They have the advantage that you can get pumped up easily at your local petrol station. A Presta valve is sometimes used for sports wheelchairs. This type of valve is rather more complicated to inflate and deflate as they need to be unscrewed and require a special pump or an adaptor. They are thinner and longer than the Schrader valves and can maintain a higher air pressure for increased mobility and performance.