This is an excellent question, because many people cannot always participate in the obvious choices such as walking, running, or cycling as most exercise programs suggest. Fortunately, there are still many ways to get in shape even if you are unable to do some of these activities. Many people who are wheelchair bound or rely on the use of stairlifts can still find ways to be active that can help promote better health.

The first thing to do if you haven’t done so already is to check with your physician or physical therapist to see what recommendations they may have to make. Many physical therapy centers offer special instructional classes and programs to help you exercise more comfortably and safely. Your doctor will understand the scope of your illness or disability and be able to determine what activities can be done safely without putting any risk to your health.

Wheelchair users can often benefit from doing exercise that works out their upper body to improve strength, cardiovascular health, and endurance. NCPAD, the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability, wrote an interesting article about how the rise of motorized wheel chairs may be linked to obesity for some who do not exercise regularly. If your doctor approves, using a manual chair three times a week for 30 minutes or signing up for wheelchair team sports may be excellent ways to help reduce your risk for weight related diseases such as heart disease or diabetes.

Arthritis or knee injuries are other conditions that can make many exercises and activities painful or difficult. Swimming and water therapy may be excellent choices for you in this case, as they help displace the weight from your joints – you can also rely on the use of flotation devices and still workout your arms and upper body.

There are also many DVDs and videos that you can try to do in the comfort and privacy of your own home. Sit & Be Fit is just one of the many popular programs that incorporates exercises that are all done while sitting.

It’s important to remember that neither exercise or diet alone can help you lose weight. In order to live a healthier lifestyle you need to combine both a healthy diet full of a variety of foods from all of the food groups and make sure you get at least 3 sessions of 30 minute activity where you increase your heart rate. While it may seem like it takes forever or you may not see instant results, you will likely see a great improvement over several weeks not only in your weight, but also how you feel.

Do you have a disability? What types of exercises do you find to be the most beneficial?

It can help you gradually build endurance, muscle strength, and a healthier cardiovascular system. Because swimming takes place in the water, you also have less risk of injury to joints since you way less in the water. Many people with joint problems enjoy swim exercises as a great way to stay physically fit because it does not put the same strain as regular fitness activities would.

Even in the fall and winter when most outdoor swimming pools are closed, there are many indoor swimming pools that offer swimming exercises and even swim workout classes. Swimming can be a great workout especially in the winter, since it is more difficult to get other physical activity as the weather turns colder. A membership to a swimming pool can be worthwhile if you enjoy being in the water and are interested in doing swim workouts.

Here are a few beginner swim workouts to try:

1. Walking: If you are not a good swimmer that doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from a swim workout! Many people walk laps in a swimming pool, especially those with joint or other problems that make walking difficult for them. You can start out at your own pace, gradually increasing the speed or distance you walk each week. This is a great beginner swim workout that will help you get comfortable being in the pool.

2. Lap Swimming: Swimming laps is probably what most people associate with swim workouts. You can start out by doing whatever styles you are the most comfortable with and doing 1-2 laps until you feel able to do more. (If you are out of shape, just swimming to the other side of an Olympic sized pool will make you feel like you could collapse!) As you become more experienced and advanced swimming laps, you can next add alternating strokes between laps, timing yourself, or adding additional laps to your swim workout. This will help you from getting bored while in the pool.

3. Kicking/Pull Buoys: If you are an inexperienced swimmer, don’t worry! You can spend some time using a kickboard or pull buoy to make laps. This can be a great way to get used to swimming laps at first or if you don’t have the stamina to swim more than one lap at a time while giving your legs a good workout at the same time.

4. Swim Classes: Almost every swimming pool offers swim classes for just about every experience level, from complete beginner swim workouts to advanced classes. It can be a lot of fun to join these as well as a great way to meet new people while getting a workout in the pool.

Swimming is a great way to get the added benefits of exercise and change your normal workout routine. Get out to the pool and enjoy these easy beginner swim exercises and the health benefits of swimming!