Exercise and nutrition

Eating well and moving our bodies is essential for good health and becomes even more important after a spinal cord injury because we are more likely to gain weight and develop the conditions associated with being overweight.

Ensuring good nutrition and factoring exercise into your routine can help us achieve and maintain a healthy weight, improve overall wellbeing and self-esteem, help regulate bladder and bowel function, and support bone and skin health. Taking care of ourselves this way can also help manage the increased risk that spinal cord injured people have of diseases such as high cholesterol, obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Exercise and spinal cord injury

After a spinal cord injury regular physical activity can have a big impact on improving your quality of life, independence and function.

Being active not only helps us feel fitter, healthier and more energetic, but it also helps reduce the risk of developing serious health conditions like diabetes and obesity. In addition to the many physical benefits, moving more can really boost our wellbeing too. Regular exercise can relieve anxiety/stress, help make those daily tasks more manageable, improve our confidence and self esteem.

There are plenty of ways to exercise with a spinal cord injury, and you don’t have to go to the gym or join a sports club to enjoy the benefits. Everyday tasks around the house, and things like pushing your wheelchair around the garden will get your heart pumping.

Staying active from your home has never been so easy and there are a number of online classes now available. Check out the live sessions from WheelPower or pre-recorded from Ella’s Wheelchair Workouts and Adapt to Perform on YouTube. They are all delivered by coaches with spinal cord injury and are made for you.

Discover more about physical activity after a spinal cord injury by visiting our new webpage:

GETting STARTED WITH EXERCISE

Remember that before exercising to speak with your doctor or rehabilitation team, who will ensure that it is appropriate
for you and will not cause you any harm. Make sure your body temperature is stable, and don’t exercise if you are feeling ill. Look after your shoulders and be aware of Autonomic Dysreflexia.

Maintaining a healthy diet and exercising is important for someone with a spinal cord injury. It affects everything from your bowel movement to body image

Karen Biggs, our spinal cord injury nurse specialist

Eating well

Good nutrition is about prioritising the quality of the food we eat over quantity. A diet rich in protein from sources such as chicken, fish, eggs and nuts helps our bodies recover from illness and repairs tissues. Meanwhile, eating plenty of fibre from fruit and vegetables and foods including pasta and rice helps us keep on top of bowel management.

Keep in mind that spinal cord injured people don’t need as many calories as non-disabled people because of reduced activity levels.

 

Staying hydrated

Drinking plenty of fluids can help avoid health problems such as dehydration, constipation, urinary tract infections and pressure ulcers. We should all be aiming to drink between 1.5 litres and 2 litres of fluids a day, unless there is a medical reason for you not to do so.

Healthy weight

Healthcare professionals use body mass index (BMI) to measure whether we’re a healthy weight for our height. Paraplegic people, who are injured below the waist, should try to keep their BMI between 17.1 and 23. Tetraplegic people injured below the neck should try to keep their BMI between 16.2 and 21.8.

Want to know more

Get advice on nutrition and eating well from the British Nutrition Foundation

Advice about healthy Living with the Live Well online resource from the NHS 

Find out more about opportunities to be active and play sport from WheelPower

Search for activity groups and clubs in your local area with EveryBodyMoves

Know where to turn for support?

Download our diet and exercise fact sheet by clicking the link on the right of the page

Our support coordinators and SCI nurse specialists are also here to advise you on nutrition and exercise. Get in touch to find out more here.