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My Love and Hate Feelings on Exercise

by Liam 

September 20, 2022

Category: Exercise

I used to love going to the gym. I love the feeling of being sweaty after exercising. Also, I am a Lululemon girl 🙂

After I was first diagnosed with Ataxia, a progressive condition that would affect my mobility and balance, I still continued my gym activities. However, I noticed the changes in my body’s movement in recent years: I slowed down a lot. I don’t have the sweating feeling any more, and I started to dislike (hate) the gym.

But having an illness that has no cure at the moment, the only “solution” is to exercise and keep moving.  With that said, I started incorporating my exercise into my daily activities, rather than going to gym.

There are some little tools that I love using and want to share here:

One thing is called a hand grip strengthener (I call it a thumb exerciser). I place it on my desk next to my computer, and I use it whenever I see it.  For example, I use it sometimes when I am on the phone. I feel it helps me strengthen my fingers and grip. Here is a demonstration.

Another is called the Magnetic Under Desk Mini Bike Pedal Exerciser. I place it next to the sofa that I sit on to watch TV. Then I use the bike when I am watching TV: one stone kills two birds.

I stand by these two items and absolutely love them. However, I also love what one lady in my community once said, “Let us move and we don’t need the fancy stuff.”

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Products mentioned in this blog

Magnetic Under Desk Mini Bike Pedal Exerciser by Sunny Health and Fitness – Available at Sunny Health Fitness, Amazon

Metal Hand Grip Strengthener by JINGYUANUS – Available at Amazon

The opinions in blogs are those of the authors. Nothing on our website substitutes as medical advice. Please consult your healthcare professionals for questions regarding your health and exercise.

about the author

A white male with longer brown hair smiles. He is sitting in front of a computer and wearing a checkered shirt.

Liam is completely immersed in the disability community. He is a board member of both Disabled in Action and the supports coordination agency Liberty Community Connections, and a longtime member of ADAPT. He currently works with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health as the Access and Functional Needs Coordinator. He previously worked as a Project Coordinator at the disability advocacy nonprofit and Center for Independent Living (CIL) Liberty Resources. He received his BA in Liberal Arts at St. John’s College and his Masters in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania. Liam has a rare genetic disability called Friedreich’s ataxia and uses a wheelchair and many other adaptive products. He has personally felt the indignity and discomfort in buying the things that he hopes will make his life easier and wants to make a change to bring the disability community into the 21st century. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and two children.

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