Sitting in a wheelchair with cerebral palsy might seem easy. However, sitting all day can create havoc on your body. Your body needs movement and exercise. Having a disability isn’t a great excuse to not exercise. Anyone can do it.
I want to be independent and as pain-free as I can. Independence is important to me because I don’t enjoy relying on others. For the rest of my life, I’ll have to rely on someone for meals and daily living activities. Even though relying on help will always be present, I can make independence a bit increased by exercising. My muscles and joints, unfortunately, become painful since I move constantly. I feared that I would need to take pain medicine for the rest of my life. Luckily, I found solutions to strength and less pain.
Cerebral palsy has been a challenge in achieving both of these goals. Due to the location of the brain damage, my cerebral palsy is complicated. I have a mixture of having stiff muscles, having no control over my muscles, and being able to control my muscles. At any given second, my cerebral palsy can exhibit one of these symptoms to all of them. The most difficult part of cerebral palsy is that I don’t know what to expect and am surprised when my muscles react.
Exercise is my best defense to enjoying a pain-free yet independent life. The more I exercise, the more control I have over my arms and legs. I believe I gain more power because I have to force my muscles to do a specific job. When they move in a certain way, they get used to listening to the proper messages the brain is sending. I have less pain because I’m moving and keeping active. The more I sit still, the more pain I feel.
Strength is great for anyone, but with cerebral palsy, you’d want all the strength you can get. For example, when I pull up in the bathroom to use the toilet, I rely on my arms and legs to pull me up. I can tell when I’m not working out as much as I should because pulling up is more challenging, and I need help to get on the toilet. I would much rather pull up by myself. Being strong helps me assist people who are helping me. When someone puts me in a wheelchair, they help stand me up and sit me in my wheelchair. Having strength helps me stand and sit in my chair.
For most people, motivation is difficult to find and maintain. Sometimes I feel tired or lazy that I just don’t want to exercise. I find myself going through stages where I work out often, and then I can’t care less about exercise. Most of us have the procrastination issue. I found something that has worked for me, and I have been using the program for six months. I am motivated by money because it’s difficult to lose money just because you’re feeling lazy.
I use the Way Better app because the motivation is either money or a friend to keep you accountable. No, I am not a salesperson, nor do I work for them in any way. Thanks to a Facebook advertisement, I learned to keep myself mentally motivated to exercise. The Way Better app lets you control how much or little you want to do. I decided to give it a chance and that chance turned into a healthy habit.
After you set up your account, you can make several choices to fit your lifestyle. There are three categories for someone to choose from: nutrition, mindset, and fitness. You also have a choice between financial commitment and friend accountability. I choose financial because money is a big motivation not to give up. I have yet to lose a challenge because I hate to lose money. Even when I feel sick, I try to get up regardless to meet my challenges so I don’t lose money. I try to spread out my challenges so I can accomplish them. If I take on too many, I might not meet my challenges.
Financial Challenge
- You pay to join a particular challenge. The amount of money per challenges range from $10 to $100. The amount depends on how difficult the challenge might be.
- You complete the challenge. Look at the app each day to make sure that you’re accomplishing what you need.
- You get back what you paid, plus money is divided among those who did not complete the challenge.
My Results
I recently completed a challenge to reach 11,300 steps five days a week for six weeks straight. Steps come to me by working out my arms. My other challenges included journal writing, crunches, reading books, healthy eating, drinking water, being outside, muscle building, and gratitude.
I feel stronger, healthier, and far less joint pain. In addition to the physical gains, I have also added money to my account. Let me know how it works for you if you give it a chance. What motivates you to keep exercising?
