Audio: why you might want to think about heading to the gym

LIZ Go on, Mat, go on you can do it.
MAT One, two.
LIZ Another one, give me another three. Come on.
MAT I can't do the three, I'm knackered, Liz.
LIZ You can do it.
MAT It's just after Christmas. It is, listeners, oh god time to talk about health and fitness now. It's the beginning of the new year and we're here to help you think about your body and perhaps assist you with making some new year's resolutions.
LIZ Are you a little puffed there, a little puffed?
MAT Just a bit. Well it's been a couple of months.
LIZ In the studio we've got Mike Hanney, fitness motivator at Henbury Gym in Bristol, wheelchair user himself, hello Mike.
MIKE Hello.
LIZ Hello, good to see you. And James O'Driscoll, personal trainer at Virgin Active, Croydon, blind but more importantly you were December's man of the month in Men's Health magazine.
JAMES Yes I was, hello.
LIZ Yes hello. Good to have you here.
MAT Hi guys.
LIZ Now look, we've got you here obviously we both need a bit of help though Mat's much fitter than me. I'm not a fitness freak at all, okay, very scathing I'm just going to lay that on the cards now, okay. So help me out - why should disabled people bother exercising?
MIKE For the same reason as anybody should be exercising. The more we actually move, the more active we are, the easier it is for us to actually get about in our daily lives. And, obviously, from a disability point of view we never know when something's going to happen, it tends to be a little bit more kind of upscale than with like an able bodied person when it does go wrong, and then the rehab is much easier the fitter we are.
LIZ So it has got a purpose it's not just... so I'm thinking you know for me I'm thinking oh is it going to be too much like physio, is it too much like that for us?
MIKE No it's fun physio.
JAMES Yeah you can make it more fun. You can work with friends as well so that's another aspect of it. You can take it out of the medical side of it and make it more fun.
LIZ Okay. So make it about fitness, make it about fun.
MAT I'm a fitness fanatic martial artist all my life, go to the gym, do martial arts, for me it's very much part of my being and I'm only really happy when I'm regularly training and stuff like that. However, working with Liz as I have done for many years now and knowing lots of other people of her sort, no not like that I mean a wheelchair user, there are a lot of disabled people who totally shun it who basically think we'll that's not actually... I can't do it, it's no use to me, I'm on a hiding to nothing and it actually feels like crappy physio that I don’t enjoy. What do you say to those people who like, okay we've got a friend, we won't mention their name...
LIZ She can blink.
MAT She can blink and move her little finger how can she then... I'm just going extreme putting you on the spot, Mike?
LIZ She rolls up to you.
MIKE Okay.
MAT Blinks which is her way of saying, "I'd like to be...
LIZ She talks, I mean God she talks.
MAT ... oh wow.
MIKE Yeah but there's still things, there's still small kit that could actually be used to help her increase perhaps the strength in that finger, or gain a little bit of movement, even if it's only actually squeezing a stress ball or using a dynoband, a rubber band, you know the stretchy rubber bands that you get in a gym. It's still something it's still actually going to be better than doing nothing.
MAT Right.
JAMES Also, with exercise it's not just about moving your body, it's how you feel about yourself as well and the connection you have with your mind about what you do. For a start if your friend come in and said, "I want to exercise, I want to feel better" straightaway she's on a plus side because she wants to do something.
MAT Because it's a self motivating tool is that what you're saying, in itself?
MIKE It's self esteem, it's confidence it's every part of your life you're going to be changed by it.
LIZ Are you finding that more disabled people are coming to the gym, are using your services?
MAT Because they're not traditionally that accessible are they in the way they promote themselves?
MIKE That's where the IFI have come in and actually helped to improve...
MAT Sorry what's the IFI, Mike?
MIKE The Inclusive Fitness Initiative because they've now looked at gym equipment and things like this and actually tried to make it so it's much more user friendly for people with disabilities. I mean just simple things like making the changing... when you're changing weight stacks and things like this, the actual hand hold's much, much bigger and in a lot of cases can be used one handed.
MAT I mean what do you do with a new disabled client?
LIZ If I turned... if I go, "Okay, we've had this discussion, I know I'm cynical but look I've got nothing to lose let's give it a go." What would you do when I arrive? How would you help me through that?
MIKE Obviously the first thing I'm going to do is welcome you to the gym and have a talk to you, find out what you're actually aiming to get out of coming to the gym.
LIZ What I want from it.
MIKE What brought you there, what're you aiming for?
LIZ And I'd say you made me on the podcast that's why I'm coming.
MIKE Oh right!
LIZ No but you...
MIKE Once you've got that information you hopefully then, by chatting to that person, are going to make some kind of connection with them.
MAT So look guys, is it just beautiful people that go to gyms? Won't disabled people feel totally out of place?
MIKE No.
JAMES Er no. One of my clients is blind. He comes in, he puts his guide dog with my guide dog and we go round together. It's all like blind leading the blind. I go, "Does that hurt?" "Yeah", "Well don't do it."
MAT Now that's my kind of fitness instructor.
JAMES "It's too heavy put it down."
LIZ I was thinking with all the government changes at the moment and the cuts and benefits stuff is it not a dangerous time for disabled people to be seen doing exercise.
MIKE Why?
LIZ Well I'm not using this as an excuse but...
MIKE I think you are.
MAT Oh a bit of motivation there, listeners.
LIZ I think if I start coming to the gym every week will they not go, "Well you don't need your disability living allowance, or your benefits."
MIKE Yeah but you could say that about a lot of different things couldn't you in life? But you've got as much right to go to a gym as anybody else has. You've got as much right to get fit and healthy and stay that way as anybody else has.
JAMES You could be referred by the doctor.
MIKE Yeah.
LIZ It seems to me and you have explained that, that there seems a difference between going to the gym to walk better but actually going just for general fitness and that's what you're advocating in a way aren't you, that anybody almost can benefit - is that right?
MIKE Yeah absolutely. As James said he's got a client that's blind. I've got a client in an electric wheelchair that comes in, it's not a problem. Okay he can't get into some of the machines, or you separate the seat off a rowing machine and put it against his footrest he can still do a certain amount of rowing. All right it might not be technically perfect but he's still getting a good range of movement for him.
MAT Yeah it's all relative isn't it?
MIKE Yeah.
MAT So, guys, to end this I'd like a couple of top tips from each of you to the disabled people who are thinking well I might get fit but I don't know I'm kind of on the fence here - persuade them, a couple of tips.
JAMES Just try it.
MIKE Try it. Yeah that's the best tip ever, go along try it, find out from your local council or your local gym what's available to you.
LIZ And what will be the benefits to your body? As somebody that sits down a lot or has limited movement or pain levels what are the benefits going to be for people?
MIKE In certain instances the pain level can be reduced, I've heard of that from some of the clients that come to the gym from us. If you're sat down a lot of the time you need the upper body strength to move yourself around, to be able to transfer.
JAMES Flexibility can be something you can work on as well.
MIKE Absolutely.
JAMES Range of movement.
LIZ Things like circulation?
MIKE Circulation, brilliant!
LIZ And is it worth coming to a gym, if you're thinking new year I'm going to do some exercise shall I go to the gym or should I do it at home, what's the benefits of actually coming to a gym and seeing one of you guys?
MIKE I think if you asked the majority of people in this country if they've got gym stuff at home and then you ask them if they actually use it the answer is no. If you go to a gym you're there for a purpose so you're more actually likely to do it.
LIZ James?
JAMES You're surrounded by the people, they're doing the same sort of thing, they want to get in better shape, they want to feel better about themselves. You've got professionals around that can help.
LIZ Okay. Thank you guys.
MAT I feel fit already, listeners.
LIZ Just looking at them.
MAT Mike and James thanks ever so much for coming along.
LIZ Thank you so much.
MAT Happy new year.
MIKE You're welcome.