By Guest Blogger Travis White
Playing sports and staying active is natural to people. More than that, it’s basically a necessity. There are the obvious physical benefits to staying active such as getting fit, building muscles, and avoiding obesity. But there are mental benefits as well. Learning teamwork and how to rebound after a loss are vital life skills.
But many people with disabilities think that opportunity is closed to them. They think that, because they are differently abled, they cannot participate in sports and similar activities. Thankfully, that is simply not the case. Sure, being disabled means you may not be able to do exactly what other people do. But with some accommodations and a little help, you can stay active even if you have a disability.
The Benefits Of Activities
Some people look at activities like sports and just think they’re an amusing way to spend the time. That’s true, but staying active has many
more benefits than just avoiding boredom.
In terms of physical health, people who are active tend to have better hearts, blood pressure, and muscles. They also have lower rates of obesity, better flexibility, and coordination, all of which can be helpful depending on your specific disability. But there are a lot of social and mental health benefits as well.
Participating in activities with others can help someone make more friends, build a sense of accomplishment, and improve depression. That’s especially true for people with disabilities, as they can sometimes feel excluded from society as a whole. Even the physical benefits of exercising and staying active can help with your mental health, as people tend to have more self-esteem when they are physically fit.
Bridging The Gap
How can someone with a disability participate in these activities? While it depends somewhat on the activities in question, there are a few accommodations to make.
Part of the problem is one of
perception. People with disabilities can sometimes think their condition prevents them from enjoying activities. That’s because there are often too few adaptive programs designed for them. If you’re not aware of how to participate, it’s easy to think you cannot and it can be hard to bridge the gap between thought and action.
A great way to help with this is
goal setting. This means setting challenging but realistic goals for yourself. For example, making a slam dunk might not be feasible given your disability, but is that really the most important thing about basketball? Take time to think about what really matters, such as making friends, getting exercise, and exposing more people to those with disabilities. Then make goals to reach those.
What About Service Dogs?
Some people with disabilities have
service animals, with service dogs being the most common by far. Can people using these friends stay active? It might not always work, but the answer is normally yes.
First, sports facilities cannot ban service animals. As long as yours really is a service animal and not just a pet, you can bring your dog to basketball courts, field houses, and more. But if your service dog helps you get around and stay grounded, then there’s little reason why that cannot happen while staying active as well.
Get Out There Today
There are unique challenges to staying active faced by people with disabilities. That said, getting out there and enjoying the benefits of physical activity is not just possible — it can do some very good things for you.
Travis White writes about food in his spare time. He enjoys showing LearnFit visitors how to cook restaurant-quality meals at home.
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