Exercise during Covid

I just wanted to write about some of the strategies I have utilized during Covid to promote physical wellness because living with a spinal cord injury over the past year must have been difficult for many people on this forum considering everything that has happened in the world. I will focus on strategies at home to promote physical wellness because many physiotherapy clinics and gyms have shutdown temporarily due to lockdowns. When my gym and clinic shutdown, my exercising did not slow down. In my house, I have a Nustep recumbent cross trainer to get my leg muscles and cardiovascular system going. I spend 30-40 minutes almost every day on it. I usually try to keep my steps per minute at 105-110 for the whole time I’m on the Nustep. I also have an exercise plinth that I do sit-ups, leg-lifts, bridging and other exercises on. I have gotten in the routine of doing one set of each exercise after I go to the washroom, which is 3-6 times per day depending on how much water I drink. I also have a grab-bar installed into the window opening of a wall between my kitchen and living room. I always stand using the grab-bar with my wheelchair behind me for safety. I use the grab bar to stand for long periods of time while watching television. I also use the grab bar to do an hour exercise session every morning to start off my day so that I loosen my muscles from the tightness caused by sleeping in one or two flexed positions during the night. The morning session consists of stretching, squats, trunk rotations, punching the air, stepping my legs back and forth and other exercises. Throughout the day, I will repeat these exercises with less sets to reduce the exercise session to half an hour. I do roughly 2-5 more of these condensed exercise sessions on top of the hour morning session. I also periodically watch tv in my wheelchair, and I do leg raises, leg abduction and other exercises, but the wheelchair exercises are not as prevalent in my daily schedule because I like to stand as much as I can. I do the wheelchair exercises if I feel fatigued or just want to move while kind of chilling. Per day, I spend 2-4 hours exercising. I am also taking 2 online courses for my university program, so balancing time between exercise and school is crucial. I find getting into a daily exercise routine helps with motivation and consistency. You may wonder why I still go to physiotherapy if I’m able to do all of these exercises. I find having the therapist or trainer overseeing my exercise program promotes changing the program when things start getting too easy, and I am no expert at prescribing exercises. I hope this inspires you and gives you ideas on how to develop your own home exercise program while gyms and clinics might be closed depending on where you are from. Of course, my physical capabilities might be different from your capabilities, so adjusting what exercises you do to fit your capabilities might be necessary. I highly recommend seeking advice from professionals because they will know what exercises will best promote whatever your exercise goals are.