It’s true that people with disabilities that limit mobility have higher vulnerability to obesity. Most weight control programs recommend getting plenty of exercise in addition to other healthy habits, like eating sensibly, getting enough sleep and reducing stress. Physical inactivity can cause changes in body composition, making exercise even more challenging. For example, many people who use wheelchairs experience muscle atrophy, which happens when muscles are not used vigorously. Muscle atrophy favors the development of obesity.
The good news is that, having limited mobility does not necessarily mean a person cannot exercise. There are good resources about exercises that can be done from a seated position. Other people may have access to a swimming pool giving them additional exercise options—especially popular during the summer months. If you or a loved one use a wheelchair, talk with your health care provider about the best exercise plan for you. People with disabilities can also find it more difficult to eat healthfully due to medical reasons, like difficulty chewing and swallowing food, or disliking its taste or texture. It’s important to communicate with other people around you who may be responsible for shopping or meal planning to make sure that your wishes for healthful food that you can prepare and eat easily are heard. Medication can also cause a challenge for weight maintenance. Side effects of some medications cause weight gain and changes in appetite. Medication can sometimes make food taste strangely. Medications can also sap your energy, making it hard to stay motivated to do sufficient physical activity to control weight. A final consideration that many people with disabilities experience is lack of resources. Being a user of a wheelchair can limit work opportunities meaning less discretionary money to spend on healthful foods, and less access to get to places where exercise might be easily done. Delivery and support services and transportation can also be expensive or not regularly available, creating a barrier to maintaining a healthy weight. Starting to use a wheelchair has been associated with gaining weight, but many of the reasons underlying this weight gain can be anticipated and overcome. If you or a loved one are a wheelchair user and seeking to control weight gain, it’s important to reach out to your health care provider, family and helpers for advice and support. The best way to manage weight is to prevent weight gain from happening in the first place.
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