If you have a higher level of injury that lowers your strength or ability in your upper body, it might be challenging to do physical activities at moderate or vigorous intensity levels. That doesn’t mean that you can’t be more active. Explore some different activities to see what you can do and what you enjoy. Here are some ideas to get active.
As a sixty year old C-4/5 quad I rely on many forms of exercise to thrive. Yoga gives me the tools for breathing, accessing my core and managing my wacky nervous system. It helps me do everything better.”
— Mary-Jo Fetterly
Accessible Activities
Aerobic activities
- Swim with assistance
- Work out with an arm ergometer (arm bike)
- Do aerobic activities at home using exercise videos (e.g., exergaming)
- Circuit training
- Adapted boxing
- Curling
- Dancing
Strengthening activities
- Do strengthening activities at home – view examples
- Build strength with resistance bands
- Circuit training
- Practice Yoga, Pilates or Tai Chi
Activities at home
Do you want to be active at home? The Active Homes initiative, developed by SCI Action Canada, offers research-based guides and videos for people with SCI who want to do strengthening activities in their own homes.
The guides are illustrated and provide some creative ways to meet your strength training goals.
Explore the guidesAdapted sports
You may need assistance for some of these sports. We encourage you to try different activities to find out what works for you.
- Archery
- Bowling
- Curling
- Shooting
- Fencing
- Boccia
- Golf
- Dance
- Skiing
- Sailing
- Paddleboarding
Just try something and if you you don’t like it, try something else.”
— Teri Thorson