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Exercises For Those With Limited Mobility

Those suffering with mobility issues should not be limited to no exercise. Our bodies need exercise to survive and work the way it should. As we age, our body becomes weaker and more fragile if we do not look after it. Many people who may be limited with their mobility, are more than capable of partaking in some form of exercises each week that keeps them healthy and strong. Here are three different types of exercise to consider:

 

Cardiovascular

 

Taking care of your heart is vital for everyone but especially if you suffer with limited mobility. Your heart needs some sort of exercise and movement in order to operate and keep blood pumping through your body. To keep your cardiovascular health in check, you can:

 

  • Daily walk – short walks every day are a great way of strengthening your muscles, improving your mental health and caring for your heart
  • Dancing – low intensity dance classes can be used by people who struggle with mobility. It gets your body moving and your heart pumping in a slow, safe and effective way.
  • Water aerobics – Many people enjoy sports or exercises in water as it provides more support for the body and reduces the risk of joint and muscle pain.

Building Strength

 

It is vital to keep your strength up when your mobility is limited. If your mobility issues concern your lower body, you should focus on using weights. If your issues concern your upper body, you should focus on training your legs and core. Building strength makes you look and feel fitter. It has been proven to increase mood and is a great way of building back muscle that you may have lost.

 

Flexibility

 

Staying flexible can decrease your risk of pain such as joint, muscle and hip pain. It can also prevent injuries from occurring in the future. Exercises such as stretches are easy, quick, and effective to improve your flexibility. Even if you suffer with low mobility in your legs, you should be encouraged to keep exercising them in ways which are possible to prevent any further damage, injury and pain.

 

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Nutrition And Vitality Within Care Homes

At Abbeyfield Bognor we pride ourselves at providing the best care for our residents that we can give. We do this through ensuring there are a variety of different activities for them to do throughout the day as well as making sure that they have a healthy lifestyle during their stay at our care home. In order to facilitate this we believe that there are a number of important practices that need to be followed to ensure residents are happy and healthy. Nutrition and vitality is key to achieving this.

Exercise And Wellbeing

In order for residents to remain healthy and fit we believe that there should be the option for residents to get involved in sports and team based games to help keep them active. Often we encounter residents who have been previously bed ridden for years and have had very little movement or exercise to keep them or their bodies engaged. We have found through organising specially tailored and less stringent exercises/group exercise that people have a new lease of life through exercise. We believe the importance of this cannot be understated and would encourage others to take the initiative. It has been proven through several studies that even short walks each day can help improve someones mental health as well as their overall fitness levels.  Fitness and exercises are completely optional but we do encourage all residents to take part in activities. 

Nutrition And Diet

Nutrition and diet are both key areas for us at Abbeyfield Bognor. We believe that a balanced and nutritious diet is key to our residents staying fit and healthy, in order to achieve this we provide them with balanced meals with a range of fruits , vegetables and other food products such as dairy which hold valuable nutrients and help overall vitality. Unfortunately many care homes across the UK fail to provide such balanced and nourishing meals and this can ultimately lead to digestion problems , lack of energy and important vitamins that are needed . This is a direct result of trying to cut costs in an ever more competitive industry. 

Mental Wellbeing

As previously mentioned Mental Well being is a very important factor that we believe should be incorporated into the care of Residents in a care home. Lack of activity and structure to an individuals day can lead to a multiple mental health conditions including but not limited to : Depression , anxiety , loneliness , Stress, Irritability and hopelessness. In addition to this existing condition such as Dementia can be made worse by lack of activity and interaction. In any case it is clear from studies around the world that having a form of routine coupled with activities can help to  greatly reduce the effects of these conditions.