Electric Mobility Scooters

The American Heart Association states the following:

Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for developing coronary artery disease and stroke. It also contributes to other risk factors, including obesity, high blood pressure, a low level of HDL (”good”) cholesterol and diabetes. Even modest levels of physical activity are beneficial.

The AHA says that older adults and those with disabilities can gain significant health benefits with a moderate amount of physical activity, preferably daily. Physical activity doesn’t need to be strenuous to bring health benefits. What’s important is to include physical activity as part of a regular routine.

For older adults, this moderate amount of activity can come from

• longer sessions of moderately intense activities such as walking or swimming
• shorter sessions of more vigorous activities such as fast walking, moon-rocking or stair-climbing

Greater amounts of physical activity can bring more benefits. But it shouldn’t be done excessively, or your risk of injury will increase.

People with disabilities are less likely to engage in regular moderate physical activity. Still, they can benefit from 

• moderately intense activities (such as 30–40 minutes of using a manual wheelchair)
• shorter sessions of more intense activity (such as 20 minutes of wheelchair basketball)

If you are being treated for high blood pressure, or if your pressure is borderline and your doctor is just “watching it”, measure it yourself from time to time, away from the doctor’s office. Doing so is useful because some people suffer from white coat syndrome, in which they become anxious in the doctor’s office and their blood pressure rises. As a result, the doctor doesn’t get an accurate reading and can’t know how well the condition is being treated. Also, it’s useful to know your pressure in various situations, and how effectively your medication is working throughout the day.

The best way to monitor your pressure, in my opinion, is with a home blood pressure cuff. Most of these devices are inexpensive (under $100), automatic, and easy to use. To make sure the unit is accurate, take it with you to the doctor’s office and check it against the one there. Depending on the medical book you read, you’ll find a “normal blood pressure” to be beteen 120/70 to 130/80. Each person has their own “normal”, therefore these numbers are considered ideal or desirable. 

Many drugstores and supermarkets now have blood pressure machines, providing a convenient, inexpensive, and easy way to measure your blood pressure. You simply slip your arm into a cuff and push a button. But are such machines acurate? Do the stores maintain their units, or do they set them up and forget about them? Frankly, I have always been a little leary of advising my patients to check their pressure this way, especially in a supermarket. Therefore, I recommend buying yourself a home unit so you can measure your pressure at home before and after taking medication, eating, or watching an exciting event on T.V. (all away from that terrifying white coat). In addition to these scenerios, whether you are sitting or standing will affect the readings. However, if you don’t have a personal home unit, it’s okay to use the public blood pressure monitors as long as you remember to do it three times. The last reading is the one that counts. If it seems out of line, double-check it with your doctor.

This question has been posed by many. The term bariatric has been losely used in the healthcare industry, and many are not sure of its’ meaning. As referenced in a Taber’s Medical Dictionary, the word bariatrics is defined as, “Branch of medicine dealing with prevention, control, and treatment of obesity.” Simply put, but covering a wide range of uses as you will see it mostly used in conjunction with surgical procedures such as “gastric bypass” or “lap band” surgeries. Of which should be considered as a last resort for treatment of obesity.

The treatment of obesity is best conducted under the supervision of a physician. Fad and non-prescription diets/ aids should be avoided, unless their use has been approved by the physician.  A weight-reduction program is recommended, and the physician may prescribe an appetite suppression for the first several weeks of the program. The individual should have a thorough physical exam. Diagnostic tests also may be ordered, if it is believed that the obesity may be due to a physical or psychological disorder.  

As always, the natural way of shedding the extra pounds is usually the healthiest way. By this I encourage healthier eating habits (not a diet) but a permanent way of eating moderately, and of course exercising as recommended by your Doctor. In the meantime, know there are durable products on the market which are designed to support your weight and body type comfortably. Wheelchairs Abound understands the importance of having the right fit for your mobility needs! 

                                   Being in a wheelchair is no excuse not to exercise! If all you can move is your head, be thankful you can do this. There are many of whom cannot. Even to those individuals….. all is not lost. Exercise your brain! Technological advances enables the physically challenged to take on activities they’ve never dreamed they could do. Know your options concerning sporting activities, vidoe games and fitness programs. If unable to participate in any of the above remember, “the mind is  terrible thing to waist”. Work that brain like a big muscle! Create or work on a project that keeps you looking forward conquerring the next day.  We all need something to look forward to, and you are no different. With the world being as small as a marble now, as it relates to communicating with one another, it is a luxury to be able to chat with people from all over the world. Really makes you wonder how out ancesters ever survived. We take so much for granted and should appreciate each day, and live it to it’s fullest because tomorrow is not promised to any of us. Live Well!