This is something on my mind and one of those rare occurrences where I will indict myself and say, “do as I say, not as I do.”
At the time of my writing this, there is a global pandemic. But I write for the future as well as the present, so viruses aside, here’s what I have to say this week.
Unconditionally, going outside – preferably in nature or with people around – is beneficial for your mental health.
Go outside. Go for a walk. Go downtown unless it’s closed for the virus.
Too often people aren’t going outside and unless they have a really good reason to do something, people will migrate towards the most convenient thing. It could be laying down, watch TV, social media, eat, or doing something not necessary or the best use of time.
Especially for those that are in a wheelchair or have a seeming obstacle to going outside, this is why you must do it.
When I was getting my car, I sent a message out to a group and asked for car advice. Someone in a wheelchair sent me a long message raving and praising minivans and telling me that I absolutely need to get one.
I am adamantly against minivans on the grounds that I don’t like them. I can’t be persuaded otherwise, however, the argument I was told by that person along with many others who don’t share my taste in vehicles was that it would be easy to get in and out, which does matter.
It wasn’t the minivan that people loved, but the value it can give to those in wheelchairs – reducing effort to go out.
It’s true – getting in and out of a van or some maddingly modified vehicle is about as easy as opening the front door and walking in.
If it’s such an endeavor to get in and out of your car, the likelihood of not going anywhere will increase. It’s how everyone is. Ask someone if they want to go somewhere but then tell them they need to do 50 pushups first and watch as they reason how staying home is better because they have dishes to wash anyway.
I’m giving you an order, even in the thickest snow, hardest rain, and repelling heat, go outside and remind yourself that you’re in the world.
Don’t be a hermit that stays inside all the time, too many people have told me stories of people in wheelchairs who become secluded and never leave.
Of course, there are some exceptions, such as myself with college where I do find myself inside much of the time studying, however, I’m not afraid to get out and have an adventure or fall over a few times. Even so, I should be going out for a walk by the water at least once every few days, and I’ll start doing so.
Immediate actionable items: Mark times to go outside on your calendar. The first thing in the morning is best because as the day progresses, more will come up and you’ll find an excuse to not go outside. Write down, “I will do ____ every X days.” as a contract to your mental and physical health.
Summary: If you’re in a wheelchair or have any obstacle of any type, that is no excuse to not go outside at least once a day and go for a walk, see some people, see some trees. It’s easy to stay inside, which is why going outside is so necessary.
Overdeliver: Marking things on your calendar make you more likely to commit to doing them. Have a friend go with you to make it more enjoyable or go alone and take time to think and be present in the world.
Having someone else makes both of you accountable for the other and it’ll become something you look forward to.
If you took my advice, you came to the same heuristic conclusion – it matters. Stretching matters.
After not stretching for a while, or doing it wrong for a while (it’s possible), my legs will be much more tense, harder to move especially in the morning, though it does build up my muscles and tone.
Every morning as part of my routine, I stretch. I read while I do it because I like to be efficient. If I want to stretch throughout the day, it’s not as convenient because I’d either have to get on my bed or down to a yoga mat and I typically have full days.
Here’s what I’ve got for you. I discovered this while I was in post-rehab. Once I got back to college after staying in Shirley Ryan Ability Center, I went to see a physical therapist for the next few months.
This is good for stretching calves, in fact that’s all it’s good for. But maybe you can get creative.
I use it in two ways – stretching in the morning and stretching throughout the day.
The great thing about this is that youcan be in a wheelchair, put this on, and stretch your calves (one at a time unless you buy two).
or
In the morning when I stretch my hamstrings, I have one leg out and my other leg’s ankle is resting just above the knee. It keeps my leg straight when I lean forward to stretch, but then my toes will point like in ballet or gymnastics.
I can either grab my foot and pull it back – a calf stretch that gets a bit tiring, keeps me from flipping pages, and then my hand smells like foot – orI place my foot in this (without strapping it down) and that keeps my foot upright.
This could also be good for nighttime use, though it could bruise or create pressure sores, so be cautious on how you wear it into the night. Wear it for a few hours and see what your foot looks like after and then make an executive decision.
Immediate actionable items: The only one I have is to buy this if you want to effectively stretch your calves. In fact, just stretch. Right now.
Summary: A calf stretcher boot.
Overdeliver: If you want to stretch even more or stand up, you can get Knee-Ankle-Foot-Orthopedics (KAFOs), which are leg braces (what I’m wearing in the picture). I use them to stretch and stand – usually while studying, writing, or reading. Just don’t fall.
Well, I have to say a few things before we talk about this.
All of this information is derived from knowledge accrued over time from experience, asking questions, a little above average knowledge of anatomy, and what works for me. I’m not like anyone else, so none of this is actually guaranteed to help you, but I reckon it will. I’m not a doctor or anything like that either, so if you try this stuff and somehow get hurt, well, that’s on you, my friend.
Muscle spasms. Before I got injured, I had them occasionally. My definition is the involuntary contraction of muscles. If you aren’t in a wheelchair, maybe your eyelid was twitching or maybe some muscle, your shoulder perhaps, was twitching.
For myself and other people in a wheelchair with similar issues, and my understanding is that a lot of people in wheelchairs have these “issues,” muscle spasms are inconvenient, helpful, and sometimes dangerous. Overall, muscle spasms aren’t welcomed to most people. Personally, because I’ve mastered my body, I don’t have any issues with muscle spasms, and I have it under complete control. I’m hoping my advice will allow you the same.
We’ll be talking specifically about leg muscle spasms because that’s where my experience begins and ends.
For me, muscle spasms became a noticeable thing outside of rehab. I don’t actually remember if I had any while I was in rehab, but I’m sure I did and they were just so minimal that it didn’t make a difference enough for me to have a memory of it happening.
For paraplegics or anyone with some spinal cord injury and little to no motor control, nearly all movement or muscle contraction is considered (to me) a muscle spasm.
There are two common ways that I get muscle spasms and this will likely be different than yours, either my legs will lock straight out, with my hip, quadricep, calf, and hamstring muscles all contracting in some way. The second way is for my hamstrings to tighten and if I’m lying down, it’ll draw my knees inward. Other than these two, my calves alone might have a muscle spasm and my feet will go tip-toe while I’m in my chair. Sometimes my leg will just jump, which seems like a rapid contraction of my quadricep and hip muscles.
Reactionary – hurt, touch/temperature, after stretching, or from not stretching/moving Movement – lying back, bumped the leg, bumpy ground E.T. – a questionable occurrence
There are a few things for me that are known to cause muscle spasms. To start with how muscle spasms can be helpful, my legs will react to pain or something outside of the “normal.”
When I was in rehab, I remember this happening for the first time when I was in the shower and sprayed cold water on my feet and they kind of jumped away from the water. Don’t try this with hot water, cold is fine though.
Sometimes I’ll hit my toe on something and I’ll get a similar reaction. This is helpful because it indicates to me that maybe something happened that hurt me and since I only feel a negligible level of pain, that muscle spasm tells me I should check and see if I just cut my leg or burned my toe.
So, one reason for muscle spasms can be called reactionary. This is something that you can’t stop from happening, it happens from the environment, and it mostly helps.
A few more reasons for a reactionary muscle spasm would be touchand stretching. When I go to massage therapy, my legs might have some type of muscle spasm after someone touches the bottom of my foot.
If you don’t stretch regularly, then you should, but if it’s been a while and you stretch for the first time, then you may notice some muscle spasms of whichever muscle you stretched.
If you have a common muscle spasm of a specific muscle and your leg moves in a certain way, that’s a good sign that you should be stretching more. If my hamstrings aren’t well stretched, then I might have muscle spasms that bend my leg in.
Movement muscle spasms occur as a reaction to a certain movement. This can be useful depending on what happens, but more than that, it’s predictable. For me, this is when I lay back or anytime my torso is 150 degrees or more from my legs. I see this as my body wanting to stand up when my body goes straight as if I were to be standing up.
This is predictable and because of that, I can tell when a transfer or something I do might induce a muscle spasm and I can plan accordingly. Also, if you’ve seen the video of my getting into an aircraft, you’ll notice that I was hanging out of the doorway and then my legs had this muscle spasm and then I stood up on my feet and it helped me get into the plane.
Another movement type spasm is when I’m in the wheelchair and going over gravel or some very uneven surface. When there is a lot of shaking or bumps, it will make my calves have a muscle spasm and my feet will go tippy-toe or slide forward, both aren’t an issue but can be annoying. A great solution, absolutely amazing solution is here.
Then, there are of course the muscle spasms that you can’t quite figure out why they happen. There is definitely a reason, but it isn’t obvious without more analysis than its worth. This could be when you’re laying down and your leg will twitch or sitting down and your foot will raise.
Stopping a muscle spasm
Brute force – moving against the muscle spasm Patience – waiting for it to go away Prediction – putting something in place to stop the muscle spasm
It isn’t always convenient when a muscle spasm happens, it can slow things down, cause a transfer to go awry, and maybe even keep you from doing something momentarily.
The thing with muscle spasms is that they don’t last, and for me, their potency over immediate time decreases in the same way a bouncy ball will. Meaning that if I lay back and my legs lock straight out, I wait for it to stop, sit back up, then lay down again, and the muscle spasm won’t happen or be as powerful.
The first tactic and my favorite is to just be patient. Let it happen, wait it out and then it’ll subside. If you do the same movement or do something reactionary that causes a muscle spasm multiple times within the same few minutes, you might find that after the second or third time there is no muscle spasm.
Aside from waiting it out, you can go for brute force, which I don’t think has any negative effect. Basically, if my foot is raised while I’m in a wheelchair, it’s because my calf is tightening (think of when people do calf raises for working out) and I will sometimes just push down on my knee to make my foot go flat again. This doesn’t always stop the muscle spasm completely, but for the calf example, it keeps my foot from being raised.
Another example of brute force would be going against the muscle. What this looks like for me is when I lay back and my legs go straight out, my hip muscles are also activating and cause my torso to be pushed back (to lie down completely), if I’m able to get my chest to my knees, this will stop the muscle spasm entirely. So, there may be a muscle spasm that happens when you do something and you can brute force your way to stop it by doing a counter movement.
As for the method of prediction, much like I mentioned earlier with the belt to keep your feet on your footplate, there may be things you can do to stop a muscle spasm from happening at all. When you do a transfer or a general movement and you know what does and generally doesn’t cause a muscle spasm, then you can either be prepared and have your hands in place to counter the muscle or have something ready so that it doesn’t catch you off guard.
Mitigating muscle spasms
Movement – leg bike Stretching – stretches
There are really two ways to stop muscle spasms from happening. But before I elaborate, the cheap seats might’ve missed that this is all from my experience and it’s plausible that none of this will apply, or all of it will work swimmingly.
I mentioned before that muscle spasms will reduce in strength and occurrence when you are doing the same thing over and over within some amount of time. If there is some specific movement you do that causes a muscle spasm and you do it repeatedly within a few minutes, the muscle spasms will reduce.
There are machines that you can use to move your legs. The one I used is pictured below and I could use my arms to move the pedals and those would make my legs move. In the beginning, my legs weren’t cooperating, but after 20 minutes, it was going smoothly, and afterward, I didn’t have any muscle spasms for any reason.
Not only is this healthy for you overall, but it also gets your legs moving in a way that can stop muscle spasms by giving them continuous movement.
If there isn’t a machine available, the next best way to mitigate muscle spasms is by stretching. When stretching out, it’s important to know that holding a stretch for an hour won’t help, it’ll actually hurt. You need to treat stretching like a workout, so sets and reps. It might look like pulling back your foot to stretch your calf 4 times each foot for 2 minutes each time, with a little break in between.
Staying well stretched is to infinity and beyond important. Sitting down all day or most of the day, avoiding technical terms, is not good for your muscles or body. If you expect to recover, and I fully expect that, then you should be preparing for it everyday by staying healthy and keeping your body in its best condition.
Immediate actionable items: Determine when you’ll start stretching and create a routine.
Summary: Muscle spasms are involuntary muscle contractions that can become a nuisance. We talk about why muscle spasms might be happening, how to stop them when they do and how to prevent that from happening or reduce the frequency.
Overdeliver: If you’re able to use a machine that moves your legs for you, close your eyes and visualize walking. I would do this as well as watch videos of myself walking before I got injured, if you have those, they might help.
Being fit and healthy is crucial. Every single person in a wheelchair needs to workout and stay healthy. There are many reasons. Making a good first impression, being able to do what you want, having self-confidence, keeping your mind sharp, becoming more successful, being happier, living longer, and most important of all, being independent. If that’s not enough, read this.
As you should know, I’ve only been in a wheelchair for a small fraction of my life. When I was a kid, I was super into skateboarding, then I moved to basketball, after that I got into boxing. Included in the boxing phase came weight lifting. I started getting more and more into it and the next thing I remember is somehow finding myself on stage competing as a bodybuilder, winning my division and best abs, going home with a sticky coating of spray tan and then turning 15 the next week.
Since then, I’ve been working out with a substantial amount of competitions tossed in the mix. I proudly have this website bookmarked.
Although I’m not certified by any means, through experience in the gym, self education and getting plenty of unsolicited advice, I know enough to merit giving advice on going to the gym for the first time in a wheelchair or otherwise.
My first workouts after getting injured were in rehab and more functional than to build muscle, though that’s also an aim. We did a lot of shoulder exercises and lots of reps with lower weight. With my reliable tenacity, I refused to use any weight lower than 9lbs and mostly used 10lbs, which were the highest the weights went. The strength and function that I gained over those 4 weeks in rehab lead to my rapid recovery.
Since I was a little more strength oriented, I was able to muscle my way through most things and figure out how to do it with grace later.
I loved doing any type of workout, most of the time I’d just smile from how great it feels to be working out and sweating. The feeling of progress and growth.
Sadly, when I left rehab, all that bravado and eagerness for the iron had taken an unannounced vacation. I didn’t go to the gym for a while. I didn’t even know how I would do it. I kept telling myself that I would go when I wasn’t as busy. To be honest, and that’s what I always aim to be, I was fucking scared.
I used to be king of the gym. I leg pressed 1000lbs+ when I was in highschool. People used to be amazed that I was 15 when I talked to them at the gym. When I was 17, they thought I was a college student. I grew into it and it became less unique and now I was about to go back in less than agreeable circumstances.
Going to the gym for the first time is a bit intimidating for anyone, but when you’re in a wheelchair it’s a little more so. Since I didn’t feel confident to go back to the gym, the inertia became a vicious cycle. It was’t easy the first few times, feeling like the king that had fallen off.
Even the man was scared to go back to his own kingdom!
I obviously did go to the gym, I adjusted rapidly because I planned out and used the basic tactic that I’ll be describing below.
If you find yourself getting worried or scared about going to the gym, then you’re in the same place I was. I did have a lot of prior knowledge, but all you need to do is watch a few hours of credible videos and you’ll know the fundamentals. Just remember that even me, the guy who was the guy in the gym was scared to go back.
For and before your first time at the gym, there are checklists. They’re pretty much mandatory. Unless you don’t want to make rapid progress, in that case you can just stop reading this.
Before we even get to the gym, we have to wax on and wax off.
We have to do our research. We have to prepare. We have to have a plan. We’re going to cover all that first and then we’ll talk about exactly what to do during our first time in the gym.
Pre-gym:
Before we begin going to the gym, we need to have a clear goal. Having goals for the gym will motivate you, keep you on track, keep you focused and give you a purpose in the gym.
As a former bodybuilder, I know more than ever that having goals/desired outcomes and a plan is the way to be successful in the gym. If you go in without a plan, you’ll come out without progress.
Here’s what we need to do BEFORE going to the gym:
First, assess what you can do.
What muscle groups can you work out? Any muscles that you have control over can, should, and will be exercised.
Split these muscles into groups
For me, this is Chest, Back, Arms, Shoulders/Traps, and Abs.
Have a clear vision
Next, take a look at yourself and envision what you want to become. Do you want to be stronger? Leaner? More muscular? You have an ideal body image, that’s your goal, and you will reach it.
Write out your goals for each muscle group or workout
Over time, you’ll be raising your goals as you get closer. I like to always keep my goals out of reach so that I keep moving forward. For me, I chose specific workouts for each muscle group and created a weight and rep goal with a timeline.
An example would be to do 50 dips. I started around 25 and every other chest day I would do dips until I dropped and wrote that number down to see how close I was. I reached 50 after about a month.
Find a gym
Now you need to do your homework, find a few gyms nearby, call them and ask them how accessible their facility is.
If you’re deciding between gyms, some important factors are: the weights/machines they have, the entrance/parking lot accessibility, the locker room, and how helpful the staff are (probably the most important).
Do your homework
Once you have a gym to go to, you want to make sure that you show up with some knowledge.
Study the basics of the muscular system. Watch some videos explaining how each of your muscle groups function
You really need to know this because in the gym, we have to get creative and that means using some machinery in an innovative way. The best way I’ve found to be innovative in the gym is to master the fundamentals and after that, I can find unique ways to use anything in the gym to help me in working out a certain muscle group or doing a certain workout.
Here are the fundamentals, though I highly encourage getting more detail from another source.
Chest is a pushing forward motion
Back is a pulling in motion, squeezing your shoulder blades together
Biceps are a curling in motion
Triceps are a pushing out motion
Shoulders are any motion with stiff arms
Traps are a shrugging motion
Abs are a crunching motion
Lower back is a curling of the lower back to lift your torso up
Know your wheelchair
It’s good to know about how your wheelchair reacts to movements as well. An example of when its good to know is the case of doing overhead extensions – having a substantial amount of weight above and behind your head will cause you to tip backwards and fall if you’re not quick to react. The solution is to back up against something so that you can’t tip over.
Knowing how the muscles are exercised means that you can look at anything in the gym and visualize new ways to use it for different muscles. This is absolutely crucial for success in the gym. I’ve been complimented many times for my innovations in the gym.
Learn about the basic workouts
There are going to be at least 10 workouts you can find for each muscle, after seeing those, you’ll be able to sieve through and find the one’s you’ll be capable of doing. It helps to know which workouts exist so you can avoid wasting time discovering them on your own (or never discovering them).
Knowing what machines the gym has will be helpful in figuring out what workouts you can do. I have a list on my phone of all the workouts I can do for each muscle, half of them are unconventional and definitely not the intended purpose.
Build up strength to workout
Once you’ve learned about how the body works, you should really do home workouts. Before going into the gym, you need enough strength to lift the weights, re-rack them, transfer to the machines or benches, and have enough strength to use the machines and weights.
It’s also about safety, you’ll end up hurting yourself if you try to do too much weight, and if you can’t do a lot of weight, you’ll probably do too much just to keep your ego intact.
All you need to do is search for home workouts (normal ones) and then go through them and see which ones you can do or get close to doing. Knee push-ups, crunches, planks, etc.
Pay close attention to form
Once you’ve built up strength, search up the basic workouts such as bench press and learn about proper form. Having proper form is another very important aspect of going to the gym. If your form is bad, you’ll hurt yourself, which could have catastrophic results if you have issues with your back or injure your shoulders.
Don’t go alone
Find a gym partner(s). Ask a friend to come to the gym with you, or if you know someone who goes to the gym, ask to have them join you or if you can join them.
You can go to the gym alone, but it’s much more helpful to go with friends and have people you know at the gym. My first time back at the gym, I went with friends and it really helped me. Correction, *they* really helped me.
This looks like a lot, and it is, but don’t be afraid to choose only the ones that you want to do and add things you think will help. This list is all-inclusive and is meant to help you build up the momentum so that you can smoothly and confidently transition into the gym, if you have gym buddies already or have a favorite gym, then obviously you don’t need to figure that out.
First time at the gym:
This part is important. All of this is important, but when it comes to the first time at the gym, you’ll want to make sure to follow this.
Your first time at the gym, you won’t be working out. Cosmo, you’re crazy! Yes, I believe I am, but for your first time back in the gym, don’t plan on having a full work out.
This is possibly a new gym and even if it isn’t, the circumstances are new.
You will do some exercises, but not a complete workout. Your first time at the gym will be to scope out some potential workouts you can do and learn the lay of the land.
When I first went to the gym, I did a tour of the whole gym, twice. I looked at every machine, then quickly went through each muscle group in my head, and then analyzed what possible workouts I could do. This is why you need to know the basic mechanics of how your muscles work and what workouts exist.
After tour de iron, you and your friends will loop back around to a few promising workouts, maybe the bench press or some machines. Having your friends with you, or a staff member, will not only give you confidence to try some new things, but they’ll help you with transfers or other things. Trying out as much as you can is crucial for you to build up your list of “known-to-work” workouts.
While at the gym, go through your list of muscles that you can (and will) workout. Try to find 1 or 2 workouts for each muscle group. Give each one a try and then move on to the next.
It’s also a good thing to tell your friends about this process before they come with you so that they know that this isn’t going to be a real workout. Having your friends or staff members help you will also add to the creativity, with everyone pitching in ideas.
Take note of what workouts you discovered and for what muscle groups.
Post gym:
Now that you’ve gone through the gym, and you know what workouts you can do, we plan.
Write down each of the muscle groups and the workouts below. This is the foundation for your gym plan.
For each day that you go in, you can now take these workouts, mix them up, and add how many sets and reps of each workout you want to do. It’s much easier to do this when you have an objective.
Remember we talked about goals? For each of these workouts, you need to set a weight, rep, and timeline goal. I prefer using workouts as the goal because they’re very measurable, body weight likewise.
Keep a separate list of those goals and track where you are at least once a week so you can measure your progress.
This is how you’ll motivate yourself in the gym and to keep going back. I like to have end of month goals. I track where I’m at right now and then I’ll have about 3 weeks to reach the next goal.
Now you’re ready to go and dominate at the gym.
And if you want to see some workouts, tips, and trick in action, check out this amazing playlist I found on YouTube. (more will be added).
Immediate action items: Pick the steps you presume you’ll find most helpful, and go through them.
Summary: Lots of things to do before, during, and after your first time at the gym.
Overdeliver: Look at other people in the gym for ideas. Some of my best workouts are from seeing other people doing a workout.
Fitness is extremely important. Of course it is and you know that. But do you really know?
I could go on and on about a lot of things and you would diligently listen and say, “Yeah, I know that,” or “That makes sense, I can understand that.” Something I believe (and it makes sense) is that you don’t really know unless you’re actively practicing.
Here’s an example. I was talking with a new friend and we found ourselves talking about personal development – something I’m always learning and doing – and I was telling her about how important it is to journal everyday and I gave some familiar examples such as Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci. My friend doesn’t journal, but she said something like, I know journaling is important and has many benefits but… and even you reading this right now, you know journaling is important just as you know that being healthy is important. Eating the right foods for your mind, body, and soul as well as the right exercises.
So although you may know that fitness is important, are you actively practicing?
Why not? Why should you start being more active and healthier?
Seriously answer these, write them in your journal. Write down 3 reasons why you don’t eat healthier or exercise more and write 3 reasons why you should. (at least make a mental list if you won’t write them out).
If you’re already working on fitness and living healthier, you can skim through until you reach the resources at the end.
There’s a high chance you’re in a wheelchair or know someone in a wheelchair. Or you’re my family or friend and thank you for supporting me ❤
When it comes to being in a wheelchair, being fit and healthy becomes super-duper extremely important. Think of why that might be. Then compare with my reasons + explanations below.
You can do more. It sounds simple but think of all the obstacles you face in a wheelchair. If you’re not fit, then people can’t help and lift you up. If you’re not strong, then you won’t be able to lift yourself or even get up a hill.[YouTube link for hill]. If you go to my YouTube channel, you’ll see that being both fit (low body fat) and strong allows me to get into airplanes along with getting carried up stairs by others. Going up stairs without help is hard. I’ve done it many times and I sweat on every occasion because of how difficult it is, even when you’re very strong.
Self-confidence. A lot of people have low confidence as they are, then put them in a wheelchair and it’ll get a lot worse. Personally, I don’t have this issue and that’s in part because of my high fitness and health. I see this in other people and if you’re not healthy, then you’re naturally going to not be as happy as you can be, you might be scared to take off your shirt in public and now you’re impinging on what you do.
Independence. When it comes to being a long wolf, it’s a lot easier if you’re strong and fit because you can easily help yourself. Also, once you reach a certain level of strength, people see that and they won’t try to take advantage of you, which can be a concern if you’re in a wheelchair and go out alone.
Recovery. I’m not sure about you, but I’m going to recover and when I do I’ll be ready. When it comes to the future, its completely unpredictable. We can sure try, but all knowledge is based on the past. We can make a prediction, but it never becomes more until it’s proven, which would mean it’s part of the past. You may not recover, but then again, you just might. The best we can do is just improve the odds. Improve the chances of recovery. Being healthy and fit will definitely improve your chances of a successful recovery. That includes stretching.
Live longer and feel good. Sure there are people who are unhealthy and live long, but again, improve your chances of a longer, richer, and more fulfilling life by leading it with health and fitness. When you eat the right foods and exercise frequently you feel good. Scientifically speaking, its been proven many times and told so many times that it’s almost been dismissed and taken for granted, but if you’re feeling a little under the weather, go for a walk with nature.
So now that we know the importance of being healthy, how can we put it into practice?
It starts with diet. Then building up the habit of exercise. And you never stop. You should exercise every day, but if you need to take baby steps, try 3 times a week and build up.
The best advice I’ve gotten when it comes to introducing new things into your life is to only do it for as long as you want. Meaning that if you go to the gym, don’t force yourself to be there for an hour if you only enjoy the first 45 minutes, only do it for as long as it’s enjoyable, otherwise you’ll begin to dislike it – the opposite of what we want.
When it comes to diet, the best way to have discipline is to avoid needing discipline. You need discipline to not eat candy or unhealthy snacks only if they’re in the house. It starts with only buying healthy foods and having them be all that’s available. As a personal rule, I don’t eat any fast food, drink pop, or eat chips and most other snacks.
I’m not certified in any field of fitness, but I am a bodybuilder and I actively learn about health and fitness as well as put it into practice. I’m just sharing what’s worked for me (above and below). If you aren’t able to do certain workouts, always just do as much as you can.
Here are some resources for health and exercise to get you started. And remember to always challenge what you hear, but accept it if you’re wrong.
First video in the series of gym videos from my YouTube channel
Also, when it comes to staying healthy, massage therapy is another great thing to look into.
Immediate actionable items: Start leading a healthy life right now. Get rid of any unhealthy foods in your house and around you (not by eating them) and make a weekly plan for exercise. Such as walking every morning or evening and going through a workout routine at a set time each day or every other day.
Summary: There are 6 big reasons why fitness is important. Even more important is to start implementing a good diet and exercise right now.
Overdeliver: As a little self-confidence boost and something that is entirely NOT my idea, but I was doing it before I realized it was common advice: ask for a discount. You might’ve heard this before, but just ask for a discount. Sometimes I’ll jokingly ask if they have a wheelchair discount or a handsome man discount. Student discount if you’re a college student. It’s fun and helps build up confidence.
This is my first “blog.” I wanted to at least have one or two for you when you got here.
I’m hoping to have at least one blog post per week. They may be short, like a little paragraph weekly challenge or long enough to split into two separate posts. I’m focusing on two things, equally ranked: give value, have fun. I enjoy giving value, so, having fun while doing it should be easy 😉
Also,
I’m extremely excited! Not only am I able to reach and help more people, but I’ll improve my writing skills, and I really enjoy writing.
Even though I don’t have much in terms of blog posts, all the pages on this site have a lot of new info on them, stuff I haven’t talked about on Instagram or YouTube. I think the Cosmo page has the most on it. I had fun writing that one.
As I’m writing this, I just finished recording about 20 minutes of video content for Instagram.
I’m in Australia and I did a campus tour & talk. All about my time hear up to this point. More or less rambled about my time here, and ranted and raved about the nature on the the campus. It’s probably a little cringey but I was just free flowing, having fun recording some videos.
I’m also putting this blog in every category that I’ve made so you ‘ll have an idea of what kind of topics we’ll cover together. More will be added over time.
For now, check out my Instagram and YouTube after you’ve gone through all the pages on this amazing website!
There are a couple forms you could fill out on the FAQ page and the Keynote page
Remember to share this website, you never know who it could help.
Much love to Team Cosmo
Stay healthy!
-Cosmo
PS, I’m writing this post while outside doing a time lapse of the sunset for my Instagram video and I got bit TWICE on my pinky by mosquitoes. That’s the type of devotion I have to Team Cosmo
Wheelchair DNA 
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