Every move counts! Exercising with a neurological condition
What is physical activity?
Physical activity looks so different for everyone, and it is not just running marathons or playing elite sports. Work and household activity, transport (ie. walking or riding to work or the shops), sport, recreation and therapeutic exercise (like you do with your physio) are all forms of physical activity.
How much and what type of physical activity should we do?
The most recent World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour (2020) recommend at least 150 minutes per week, with strength training on at least two days and multicomponent activities for balance and strength in older adults on at least three days.
But their BIGGEST recommendation is that any movement is better than none and that every move counts.
What are the benefits to exercise?
Reducing your time spent sitting and increasing your time moving has so many health and quality of life benefits. This includes a reduction in all causes of mortality, cardiovascular disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes. In addition, it has been shown to be more effective than any medication in improving mental health (including anxiety and depression), cognitive health and sleep. Best of all, there are no major risks to adults living with a disability engaging in physical activity.
Does this include people with a disability or neurological condition?
The WHO guidelines affirm that the physical activity recommendations are feasible for people living with a disability and that there are even additional benefits to health outcomes for this population, compared to those without a disability.
In fact, the health benefits associated with fitness are particularly important in neurological populations whose activity levels are often very low (1). Brain health benefits from aerobic exercise may even be used to prime neuroplasticity for learning (2) and overtime could be neuroprotective for some degenerative neurological conditions (3).
How can I achieve this with my neurological condition?
As neurological physiotherapists we are skilled to assist you to break down the barriers preventing you from exercising and get creative in helping you to do the physical activity you love, or figuring out what this may be. There are many ways this can look and different settings it can take place.
Image Source: Choose Physio for Hydrotherapy, Australian Physiotherapy Association
Some examples:
Upper limb cycling or boxing is an excellent way to get an aerobic workout for people in wheelchairs. For those less confident on their feet, adaptive bikes, treadmills or cross trainers are great alternatives to unsupported walking or running.
Hydrotherapy is a great way to get moving for people who love the water, have pain or arthritis, or feel more apprehensive with land-based activity.
Strength training can be Pilates, exercising with your kids at the park or basic exercises done at your kitchen bench. It’s not just lifting weights in a gym!
The list goes on and there are so many fantastic adaptive aids, equipment and machines to help people exercise. Don’t feel like you have to do it alone - it’s our job to help you find what works best for you.
Finally…
The following video is an excellent way to show all the different ways you can move your body, no matter your physical function. Remember… Every move counts!
References
Bull, F. C., Al-Ansari, S. S., Biddle, S., Borodulin, K., Buman, M. P., Cardon, G., Carty, C., Chaput, J. P., Chastin, S., Chou, R., Dempsey, P. C., DiPietro, L., Ekelund, U., Firth, J., Friedenreich, C. M., Garcia, L., Gichu, M., Jago, R., Katzmarzyk, P. T., Lambert, E., & Willumsen, J. F. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British journal of sports medicine, 54(24),1451–1462
Moriarty, T. A., Mermier, C., Kravitz, L., Gibson, A., Beltz, N., & Zuhl, M. (2019). Acute aerobic exercise based cognitive and motor priming: Practical applications and mechanisms. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2790.
Rimmer, J., & Lai, B. (2017). Framing new pathways in transformative exercise for individuals with existing and newly acquired disability. Disability and Rehabilitation; 39(2):173-180.
Schenkman, M., Moore, C. G., Kohrt, W. M., Hall, D. A., Delitto, A., Comella, C. L., Josbeno, D. A., Christiansen, C. L., Berman, B. D., Kluger, B. M., Melanson, E. L., Jain, S., Robichaud, J. A., Poon, C., & Corcos, D. M. (2017). Effect of High-Intensity treadmill exercise on motor symptoms in patients with de novo parkinson disease: A phase 2 randomized clinical trial. JAMA Neurology, 75(2), 219-226.