Greetings all. I'm very interested in helping those with disabilities improve their quality of life through exercise and meditaion. I have a great deal of experience in these areas. If you or anyone you may know would be interested in what I have to offer, please contact me via my profile here. Thanks. I look forward to meeting a lot of new friends, having great discussions, and helping as many people as I can. Peace.

The sugar buster diet is a good start. Just be aware that high fructose corn syrup is a fancy way of saying sugar, and it's in everything. Eating healthy and controlling your portions in conjunction with exercise is the most effective way to ensure success. Since you are a fan of walking, I would start power walking. Get yourself a pair of light hand weights. Carry them and let them pump up and down as you walk. This is a low impact exercise that burns more calories than walking alone. For mobility and fitness I strongly recommend Tai Chi. It is wonderful for joint health, respiratory health, and over all fitness. I hope this gives you enough for a good start. I will be happy to offer further assistance if you need. Let me know how it goes. I wish you success and all the best.

hi, so i'm a paraplegic in a wheelchair and i also have a rod in my back due to a major surgery to curb scoliosis. that being said, let's talk about what wheelchair bound people who can not bend their spine do to excercise:

1. someone mentioned it - eat in moderate portions. cut out the regular cokes and go for the diet ones if you have to drink colas. no discussion of chemicals in diet sodas please! :)

2. i work out in the gym for 30 min three times a week. twice a week, i wheel just fast enough to get my heart rate up around the neighborhood for 30 min. my workouts aren't long or a big process b/c i don't have much time.

if i can't do either, i'll do some contracting of muscles. therein lies the resistance that weights or pushing around provides. ie, contract stomach muscles.

hopefully, this helps someone.

Hi, Wheelstrong. It sounds like you have a solid fitness plan in action. Be wary of believing that diet soda is better than regular soda. Research has shown that the body treats the artificial sweetener the same as it does regular sugar in terms of how it affects your weight. The chemical make up of the artificial sweetener makes it difficult for the liver to process it. Therefore, it is possible that someone who drinks several diet sodas a day over the course of years, may end up with toxic levels of these substances in their body. There are no calories, but nothing really that good either.  The research on this is on going, but IMO water and tea are the best every day all day beverages. I have a daily energy drink habit, but I don't drink coffee. I'm watching the info on energy drinks as well. They are not all created equal. I've done my homework on the one I drink, and I haven't noticed any ill effects. I'm trying to kick the habit though. Those things are expensive. If you're interested I could recommend some core training exercises you could try. Train hard. Be happy.