Gyms Adjust to People With Disabilities

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Gyms Adjust to People With Disabilities

By KARREN MILLS, Associated Press Writer

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - Nothing keeps Amy Sharp from going to the gym:

not the wheelchair she needs to get around, not even cerebral palsy.

Twice a week, the 27-year-old Sharp is driven to Courage Center,

where she spends an hour exercising her arms and legs and tossing a

ball against a trampoline to practice balance and coordination.

" They always say, `If you don't use it, you lose it,' " she said.

Exercise is especially important to people with disabilities who are

more likely to develop debilitating health problems that stem from

their lack of mobility. But many gyms do not have right equipment for

the disabled.

Minnesota's nonprofit Courage Center can accommodate anyone who is

disabled, not just clients under doctor's orders to use its

rehabilitation facilities. The gym opened in February a short

distance from Sharp's home in the suburb of New Hope.

The equipment has seats that swing out of the way so workouts can be

done from a wheelchair. Foot plates and straps are added to the leg

press and other equipment to keep feet anchored and help those with

limited body control. The Cybex machine can be adjusted for those who

cannot fully straighten their legs or have limited motion in their

joints.

As part of a stay-fit program customized for Sharp, she works with

the fitness and therapy training staff on strength, flexibility,

mobility and conditioning. She pays $150 for 10 half-hour sessions.

At a recent session, Sharp cheerfully wheels herself up a short ramp

to the Ergometer fitness cycle, locks her wheelchair in place and

lets the bars pump her arms in a fluid, rhythmic motion. Other

equipment works her leg muscles. Later she tries to catch a rubber

ball she bounces off a trampoline.

" Working out makes you feel better because you move, and when your

body is moving more you feel better. At least I do, " she said.

Philip Haberstro, president of the National Association for Health

and Fitness in Buffalo, N.Y., called the Courage Center concept

fantastic — beyond what is generally available in for-profit clubs.

But he sees it as an evolving trend that will be driven by market

demand.

Life Time Fitness, for instance, a rapidly growing mainstream chain

in eight states, has treadmills that move at a snail's pace and very

lightweight dumbbells, but no swing-away seats or other

accommodations for people with disabilities.

Haberstro acknowledged those changes will take time.

" From the business side, there has to be some demand from the

marketplace, " he said. " The nonprofit community may, in part, be the

solution " because they can bridge the gap between for-profit chains

and rehab centers.

Imparato, president and chief executive of the American

Association of People with Disabilities, said he would like to see

more adaptive equipment in mainstream fitness centers because the

disabled do not want to be segregated.

" A lot of doctors are encouraging their patients with disabilities to

be more fit, and part of that is working out — for folks who are able

to work out, " Imparato said.

He noted that some equipment designed for the disabled also will be

suitable in the long run for aging limbs and muscles.

a Hart, vice president and chief operating officer of Courage

Center, said people with disabilities sometimes have greater

motivation to stay with a fitness program.

" Most people don't come here to get buff, " she said. " Part of what

they are trying to do is become strong enough to do some of the daily

tasks that the rest of us take for granted. "

Steve Ranallo, 37, was active enough in his job as a maintenance

mechanic at a factory that he did not need to go to the gym. When he

injured his spinal cord in a four-wheeler accident in 2000, he lost

use of his legs and has very limited use of his upper body.

He works out up to three times a week at Courage Center's gym, intent

on maintaining as much of his upper-body strength as possible. After

he rolls his wheelchair into place at a machine called the UpperTone,

an attendant secures a Velcro band around Ranallo's hand and a lever

because he has no grip. It allows Ranallo to work the pulley systems

and slide levers in a rowing motion and also use the chest press,

with its wide angle to target a different muscle group. He works on

shoulder compression, triceps, bicep curls and rotations.

" When I get out, I'll be looking for a job, " Ranallo said. " I'm

feeling pretty good. "

Mike Stefanski, 52, of Plymouth, a stroke survivor, is rebuilding his

stamina on the NuStep, an adapted stepper that resembles a stripped-

down pedal boat.

" I belonged to a fitness center years ago. What I remember about it

was that it seemed like a place for hard bodies to show off. Here,

there are no egos. ... There's absolutely no competition, " Stefanski

said.

He said the stroke has given him a new perspective.

" If you don't try, well, you know how much better you're going to

get, " he said. " We don't look very far. The horizon isn't way, way

out there. The horizon is today, maybe tomorrow. At least mine is. I

think I learned most of that here. "

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