My Wheelchair Exploits

Living with a disability brings many challenges and requires a different way of thinking.

On the 11^th of June this year I severely broke my leg playing cricket whilst attempting to field a ball in the deep outfield, it was a freak accident. My memories of the incident are vague but I believe that the studs on the base of my cricket boot rooted into some uneven ground whilst I was diving to stop the ball and my ankle gave way in spectacular style. I was rushed to hospital with a displaced ankle, breaks of the Tibia, Fibula, tendon tears and ligament damage of my right leg.

I can't say I feared  injury playing cricket because in my mind I was certain that it would never happen to me. I was adamant and unyielding in my thoughts.

When I was all of about three days post-op following surgery to fix the bones together with titanium plates and screws I realised that transporting myself was going to be troublesome using crutches alone. Knowing that I did not have the strength or stamina to navigate to the shops on crutches or to the gym where I could maintain at least a level of upper body fitness. I was left with two alternatives, vegetating on the sofa with my leg raised or sourcing a wheelchair. I’ve always been a doer, an achiever and this injury was going to be no different.

I was refused a wheelchair from the NHS as it was felt unnecessary but it was also commented that I did not require any care to bathe or feed myself, really? Try walking hundreds of metres on crutches and then carrying shopping back to your home, walking up a flight of stairs all with only one leg allowed to ever bear any weight. I have however been very lucky, my friends and family have supported me and helped me throughout the current duration of my disablement. It does not detract from the fact that I wished to be independent, I detested having to rely on others to carry out tasks for me. I therefore sourced a wheelchair from a local charity shop.

Pride is a funny thing. I'm not the type of man who has to have every hair in place or a perfectly shaped beard before I leave the house. In fact, there was a time I could get down and dirty with the best of them, and if the job warrants it, I've never been afraid to get my hands dirty.

My first day started off at home and then proceeded to travelling into my local village centre. Initially, trying to manoeuvre on the wheelchair was difficult as I needed to ensure that I was moving in a straight line and not strafing to the left or right. Controlling both wheels to move at equal speeds with equal amounts of energy on flat ground was soon a synch but travelling on cambered ground was tricky. This is emphasised when I then travel on pavements and find myself pushing very hard on one wheel to maintain a direct route of travel and not falling down the curb and inevitably face meeting tarmac. After a few days of wheeling and practicing various challenges I had mastered it. I was a wheeler, and proud.

The first week spent in the wheelchair served to change my perspective greatly. Though there were some less than glorious moments such as the stares from strangers, the young lady who walked into my propped up leg as if I were invisible, and waiting to use the handicapped toilet as a mother and four children finally emerged from therein, I began to view the wheelchair not as confinement but as support equipment that allowed me the freedom to participate.

Without the wheelchair I could not have joined in with social events, work meetings and I would’ve sacrificed my overall recovery time without the ability to continue training.

On particular days, the wheelchair felt liberating. It eliminated some of the restriction created by crutches. It also served to open my mind so that now when I see someone in a wheelchair, I no longer am flooded with negative thoughts. Instead I am glad to see that person enabled and empowered.

I was entering a restaurant in my new usual way for a meeting, push with force and roll. I was holding the door for people leaving and I kept the door open for a lady entering after me too. I was raised to be polite, and to hold a door for an older lady. She got embarrassed.

This sparked a conversation, and was I not in a wheelchair she would have expected me to hold the door for her. I however, was wheeling. She claims that people gave her a dirty look for not helping me, for not holding the door for me, for the disabled guy. She felt very bad because of her interpretation of people’s looks. At that point, I wasn’t paying attention. I like to show off though and I know people are watching a disabled person opening a door because they presume that we can’t.

Our exchange must’ve struck a chord because later that day she called and we had a little talk. I was trying to explain to her that I won’t let people help me unless I need their help. I told her that I am trying to change the perception of able-bodied people toward wheelchair users. That I want to show what we as wheelers can do (everlasting wheelers or otherwise). What followed was interesting; I was told the polite way would be to let others help me, because persons with disabilities are second-rate people, they are inferior, deficient. I told her I am trying to change that a little bit. I was told that was I in actuality needing a wheelchair permanently, I would let people help me. I had to laugh, I told her about people in wheelchairs that I’d encountered previously. They don’t let others help them unless assistance is needed. The conversation ended shortly after that, she said that she didn’t want to talk about it anymore and that the talk depressed her.

It is depressing; no doubt about it, equality is a very fragile concept. Why is it so hard to understand that people are all equally human and deserve to be treated with dignity? Society teaches us otherwise. The words like "invalid" are all too common where I come from, language is powerful. A friend of mine uses the word "cripple" exclusively for people with disabilities, he won’t be politically correct. Wheelchair bound individuals are perceived as crippled. Not only in our bodies but in our humanity and in our dignity, so we need to let others help us so they can feel better about themselves. If they help us, perhaps they won’t feel bad about the thought they have about us.

Well, I won’t let anybody feel good. If you are embarrassed by not helping me, your embarrassment is based on your guilt, shame and pity. When you see me for who I am, you will be proud that I am independent. You will be able to look people straight in their eyes and they will see that pride there, no pity. That is the way it should be, I am merely trying to change the world, just a little.

Do Calories Count?

Low Carb Induced Ranting! Do you think calories count?
For a while now, I have kept encountering information from people who charge others for their advice on body composition that sets my teeth on edge.
The biggest issue I have with some of these otherwise reasonably educated trainers, is there total lack of grasp of what it really takes to get in great shape. In the interest of fairness it’s probably wise to define what “in great shape” actually means, as we will all have different definitions. If and this is a big if, your goal is to get a bit slimmer, tone up a bit and generally look better than average but be nothing special, then that is one version of being in shape and I accept that. On the other hand, my version of being in shape means a minimum of sub 10% body fat for a man, and circa 12-13% maximum for a woman, my personal goal is to get sub 5%

Achieving this level of body fat whilst also carrying a good degree of muscle mass is a real challenge, and something that is, to be blunt, well beyond the comprehension of anyone who has never done it on themselves. Sure, there are some gifted guys who always hover around 8% come rain or shine, but these will be naturally slimmer, very active guys with spare muscle size. So after that extended introduction, what really gets on my goat is when I read rubbish such as “calories don’t matter so long as you only eat Paleo”, and “I get leaner every time I increase my fat intake”. I truly despair that these unenlightened souls really think it is so easy!

The fact of the matter is that when it comes to getting into “real shape”, the words of former world class bodybuilder Sean Ray have resounded in my head for almost eight years – “Before a contest I don’t go to bed a little bit hungry every night for fun”. Bodybuilders are well known for their masochistic tendencies, and anyone who has ever got into condition sufficient to look good in bodybuilding competition deserves your respect for their self discipline and persistence, but going hungry isn’t something that even the iron fraternity would do out of choice. Rather it is a necessity, and the best trainers and coaches understand this, usually because they have done it themselves.
Now before my words are taken too literally, I absolutely do not mean starving yourself and being permanently in famine. Far from it, there are many ways to skin a cat, and some people flourish on calorie and carbohydrate cycling whereby some days you would never know you are on a diet at all. For myself, I always believe that once you carry a good degree of muscle mass and are reasonably lean, then you must have a decent amount of carbohydrates at certain times (note the emphasis on at certain times) in order to preserve that muscle that you fought so hard to build in the first place. None of this individual variation can get you away from the fact that at some stage you need to create a net calorie deficit.

The reason all this misleading advice spouts forth is because the fitness industry is both extremely faddish and very often reactive rather than proactive. For years we heard the bullshit that calorie counting was the only way to lose fat. This has some truth in it, but the message got muddied and the so -called experts became confused because the fact that calories count became highjacked by low calorie, high sugar food manufacturers who want the unsuspecting public to believe that 200 calories from a nice bowel of low fat, sweet tasting cereal is actually a better breakfast for your health and appearance than 200 calories from boiled eggs! So long as the net calories are equal all is fine, right? No, of course not. Macronutrients have a profound impact upon hormonal and metabolic health and only a fool would suggest otherwise.

To compound matters further, it seems that somehow the calorie debate has become mixed up with the whole carbohydrate versus fat debate, that is a cut and dried case of “essential fats” being essential (wow I hear you cry), and to express it as simply as possible, fats from whole, natural foods are good for you and should not be avoided. Sugar and wheat on the other hand are major culprits in the health woes of the 21st century.

So here are the facts and really this isn’t merely my “opinion”, this is just the way that it is:
Not all calories are created equal, and some are infinitely better for your body than others. Anyone who tells you that calories don’t count is a moron and fails to understand basic mathematics.
I know some of you will want to know this, my own personal rough rule of thumb for getting into superhuman shape is to take in 12 calories per ½ kg of bodyweight, assuming exercise levels are not crazy. So for me right now, at a bodyweight of just over 90kgs, I am probably averaging between 2000 and 2500 calories a day.

In order to get into fantastic shape you need to educate yourself on what type of calories work best for you, and how much. It really isn’t all that complicated, but it does take a bit of time to nail exactly as we are all different. Varying metabolisms, muscle mass, and activity levels can change both variables massively.

As ever, I welcome your comments, and if you think I’ve been a bit harsh or just totally disagree with my take on cardio then please let me know. My word is not gospel and I am always willing to examine different ways of doing things, so I’d be really grateful for any ideas or feedback you give in the comments section below. Your support and input as ever is massively appreciated!

How Many Types Of Sit-ups Should I Do?

Sit-ups are without doubt the most overrated exercise in the gym. That’s not to say that they are not important, it’s just that they are over-used by the majority of gym goers.

Keeping the abdominal muscles strong is essential to help prevent back pain and help maintain core stability, but performing 10 different types of sit-ups, most of which look as if they are adapted from the Karma Sutra is a waste of time.

Varying all types of exercise is certainly encouraged by most personal trainers and abdominal exercises are no exceptions but trying out sit ups that are overly complex and difficult to perform correctly is often more of a hindrance to your routine.

The maximum number of abdominal exercises I give to my clients per session rarely exceeds 3 or 4 basic movements. By ensuring that every exercise is performed slowly and correctly, the abdominals can be worked intensely in a simple fluid movement without the client worrying where their arms and legs should be.

Changing the type of abdominal exercises you perform every few weeks or so is a good idea. This keeps your interest up and works the stomach slightly differently, but avoid following everyone else’s example at the gym and looking like an amateur contortionist! Ask a fitness professional for 3 simple stomach exercises every few weeks and ensure you perform each one slowly and as instructed.