BlindAlive.com

Accessible Fitness, more choices for more people

Fitness has always been a concern with regard to both mental and physical health regardless of age, gender, or any other variables that make each one of us unique. And for those in the blind community, fitness is every bit as much—if not more—important.

Exercise for the visually impaired is something that should be incorporated into a weekly, if not daily, routine for a variety of reasons that are both similar and different from people within the sighted community. For those with total loss of sight as well as for those who are low sighted, a lack of regular exercise can bring on a host of other issues, including weight gain, sluggishness, and perhaps worst of all for many, insomnia or a circadian rhythm that has been thrown completely off track.

A quality workout done at the right time of day and at the right pace to meet your unique physical and mental needs is just what the doctor may have forgotten to order. For many blind people, fitness has been a challenge: without someone to guide you and without the ability to drive yourself to the gym, it becomes obvious why so many visually impaired individuals give up—but with the BlindAlive line of Fitness Workouts for blind people, you’ll never have to depend on anyone else again.

Yoga and Strength Training with wieghts for blind people along with a variety of other cardiovascular exercises help our bodies stay toned, help us gain muscle mass and lose weight, but most of all, can help lead a blind person away from a sense of helplessness.

Are you ready to sweat? Come get healthy and leave all your notions of not being able to get fit due to your visual impairment behind with BlindAlive!

The Year in Review

December 27, 2015  /  Lisa Salinger

"I reflect on the year past so I can make meaning of it. I take time to put it in its place in the track of my life." Those words were written by Mel almost exactly a year ago, as she reflected on 2014. And here we are again, and another year is nearly complete. This time, we thought we'd like to share a bit of that reflective journey with our readers.

This year saw the addition of more contributors and collaborators, and the ability to purchase CD's on Amazon. We released five workouts: Stability Ball Body, Gentle Workout Set, Pilates Chair with Ring, Gentle Yoga for Beginners, and Pilates Mat Level 1, wrote a weekly blog post, and produced 27 podcasts.

Mel's posts have been the backbone and mainstay of the blog. She has provided education on health topics as diverse as Pilates, strength training, and creating your home fitness area. She has also been candid about sharing her personal struggles with blindness, health challenges, and website inaccessibility.

One of the most exciting developments in the blog in 2015 was the addition of others who either contribute regularly or who have sent us superb guest posts. The first of these wasa timeless post about Motivational Strategies to Bring Lasting Changes from Shana Maleeff.
Some of the posts which have received the most feedback are from readers like you who have shared their stories. The first of these came from Gwen Givens as she talked about Small Steps, Great Strides. Several of you wrote to tell us how much you enjoyed Mary Stores' post about her exercise journey.

Deborah Armstrong treated us to an excellent two-part chronicle of her fitness adventure. You can find Part 1 and Part 2 at the links provided.

In June, Peggy Fleischer started writing for us, and made a big splash with her first post about Ordinary People. We published the first post by Melanie Peskoe in November, but the one that is generating a lot of discussion is a more recent one about the Health at Every Size movement. I started writing for the blog in early January, and have enjoyed covering a variety of topics. A few that stand out in my mind are a post about choosing a stability ball called Goldilocks and the Three Balls, one about the external forces that push our buttons, and another about Befriending the Buffet.

The year has not been without its share of obstacles and setbacks, but Mel's vision for BlindAlive remains clear:
"Tonight, I am imagining blind people everywhere sinking into their bodies and using their own imaginations to run free, to feel strong, confident, and wild while running in place in their own home. I want more than anything to create more accessible choices for people so they can access that feeling of no boundaries. I want that feeling for all of us!"
Best wishes to all for a fantastic, fulfilling 2016.

If you have a favorite blog post or a topic you'd like us to cover, please be sure to contact us.

 

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