Our experienced, local carers are an active part of the Wolverhampton community, and we see people of all ages and physical abilities getting involved with all sorts of activities, exercises and social groups. We know that having limited mobility doesn’t necessarily mean having to make compromises on a healthy lifestyle! Our compassionate care team often help customers with limited mobility go on walks, do home exercises or prepare healthy, nutritious meals. Whatever your circumstances are, follow our tips below for a healthy lifestyle!
1. Diet
If you’ve got limited mobility, chances are that intense workouts like cardio are difficult or maybe even impossible to do. As such, we can all make changes to our diet to ensure we don’t gain extra weight, as obesity causes many health issues. Follow these diet tips for a healthy lifestyle:
- Make sure you’re eating colourful, nutritious meals. The more colour on the plate, the better, so pack your meals full of a wide rainbow of veggies. If you need help with meal preparation, our helpful carers can assist!
- Drink lots! Staying hydrated is so important for our overall health, so make sure you drink lots of water throughout the day.
- If you’re concerned about gaining weight, use an App like My Fitness Pal – this is free to download and will help you track your calorie intake and usage, so you can make sure you’re maintaining a well-balanced lifestyle.
- Try to limit processed or sugary foods; these can give you a quick burst of energy but aren’t good for long-term health or energy levels.
- Try to snack healthily – fruit, nuts etc. A healthy snack will give you that little energy boost, without the calorie intake!
2. Exercise
Exercise is important for our physical and mental wellbeing. With limited mobility, we understand that your exercise will be restricted; but our helpful carers can come and assist you with chairobics, physio, walks or anything you feel you can do safely.
The following are some suggestions of exercise for people with limited mobility – they won’t all apply to your personal circumstances, but take a look and see what appeals to you.
- Have you ever heard of ‘chairobics’?! This is an exercise class involving sitting on a chair, so avoiding use of the legs and lower body. This is a great, fun way of getting your heart pumping; there’s free videos to follow on YouTube, or you can take a class.
- Walking is an excellent form of exercise, as it gets the whole body moving. Try to go for a walk outdoors; this will help your physical strength and mental health, plus we could all do with a little more Vitamin D from sunshine! If you need someone to come with you, our empathetic carers are here to help.
- Hydrotherapy: this is an excellent exercise regime for those who need a bit more support. In the water you often feel safer, as the buoyancy ‘catches’ you should you stumble or fall. Hydrotherapy can be a great way to exercise safely for those with arthritis, joint issues or certain injuries.
- Physiotherapy: exercises designed to help your mobility and strength. Whether this is a formal course from a hospital, or just some self-given morning movements to help loosen you up, starting the day with some gentle exercises can give your mood a lift! Check in with our carers for assistance.
3. Mental Health
Looking after our mental health is absolutely crucial to a happy life! A lot of diet and exercise suggestions will also help lift your mood, so have a read through those, as well as our top tips for happy mind below.
- Mindfulness is a technique ever growing in popularity. Try meditating or mindfulness online classes, or through Apps like Headspace or Calm.
- Getting outdoors is key to our mental well-being. Try to get outside at least once a day; for a walk or even just to sit in the garden and read.
- Keeping your mind active and agile is also key to your general wellbeing. Try daily crosswords, wordsearches and quizzes to keep your neurons firing!
- Reading is a form of escapism that needs very little mobility. Set yourself up in your favourite chair, with a cup of tea, and enjoy…
- Get social! Loneliness can be one of the biggest challenges to our mental health. Try to find local groups in the Wolverhampton area: book clubs, Pilates, gardening – whatever you fancy! Meeting new people and making new friends keeps us feeling active, sociable and happy.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team today!
