Mumbai: Twelve wheelchair-bound men and women sweated it out at Mumbai’s first fitness class dedicated to paraplegics, which opened its doors on Tuesday.
Started by Kartiki Patil, a national-level wheelchair badminton player, with the aim of providing physical strength to people on wheelchairs, Adaptivefitness will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at Sion’s Paraplegic Foundation, a rehabilitation centre for the paraplegic, hemiplegic and quadriplegic.
Speaking to The Hindu , Ms. Patil said, “For six years after my accident in 2008, I did nothing. After all these years, I started concentrating on my physical fitness, and soon realised that the travel and practising with a coach makes it a costly affair. It was then that I thought of introducing such classes for paraplegics so that they can gain upper body strength, and after a few years be able to take part in various sports.”
All twelve participants in the first fitness session were enthusiastic. The session was more than just regular physiotherapy exercises. It included basic warm-up, upper body exercises, stretching, and activities like ball-throwing and catching.
Bhavesh Trivedi, a former swimmer who is wheelchair-bound since he met with an accident during a dive, said, “I have been exercising for 13 years since my accident. Somehow, I did not feel the strength of a sportsman, which I used to have earlier. With these sessions, I am really looking forward to regaining the energy I have lost.”
Priya Pankaj, the physical instructor of the session, said it was a good opportunity for the participants to gain strength in their upper bodies, which they lose with time. “The classes will help them regain muscle power. These will not be those boring exercise sessions. We are focusing on exercise combined with fun. It is a challenge for them, but we will make it very interesting,”Ms. Pankaj said.
