United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Before my accident I was very active in swimming & tennis. But after I've sort-of been wallowing around and not getting much exercise. My brother is telling me to get a gym membership; but I figure if all I'm going to be doing is working on my legs, I might as well just get an exercise bike.

Oh yea, I forgot to mention that I have not been working on my good arm either. I want to balance them out.

I have a gym membership. I did have an excercise bike, but I never used it so it got donated. I find that if I go the gym, I'm much more motivated to actually excercise. I do have some movement in my affected arm, so I work on that one or two days a week. I do legs one day a week and cardio on the remaining days.

I also am cocerned about how to keep fit. I was a very active person prior to the accident. My husband & I run a cattle station and riding horses all day and manual labour was an everyday part of my life. Now that I have one BPI arm and lost the other arm I find it very hard to exercise comfortably. I have a recumbant exercise bike that I use sometimes and I try walking a fair bit but the weight of the arm is the problem. I have found swimming laps to be the best. 18mths ago I was travelling to town once a week to physio and the pool, but we don't do that anymore (3 hrs travelling in & out of our small town)
We have plans for a pool here.
Give the water a go if you haven't already.

I stopped going to therapy years ago and started working out the bpi instead. The therapy seemed senseless and I was being directed by what seemed like 19 year olds. I do not have the motion of lifting above my head with my rt. arm but found I CAN push and can do a bench press machine laying undereneath it.
I have also bought a Bowflex and found that some exercises put work my affected arm. I think that any working out you can do not only makes you healthier but I am hoping it will retrain those
nerves I have damaged.