Sport & Freizeit

Exercising At Home – A Self-Isolation Guide

Gareth demonstrates a range of Theraband/resistance band exercise

We are living in unprecedented times. The entire world is on lockdown. Cinemas, pubs, restaurants, schools, gyms – all closed. And even if they were open, any person with a health related disability is being told to quarantine themselves at home for at least 12 weeks in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19. The idea of spending 3 months kicking back at home may sound appealing to some, but to many people with disabilities; it can feel like a prison sentence. For us, doing things such as taking part in sports, going to the gym or even just…

When Norma suffered a stroke, it affected the entire left side of her body, greatly reducing the strength and mobility in her arm and hand.

Damien using the General Purpose aid with his archery bow

There are very few examples of athletes who have competed in both the Olympic and Paralympic games. To be precise, or as precise as Wikipedia can be, there have only ever been 15 athletes who have represented their countries in both competitions and none who have done it so many years later. Damien Letulle aims to be number 16, and the first on the list to do it with the help of Active Hands! Back in 1996, Damien Letulle was the 23 year old rising star of French archery. Finishing 3rd at the European Championships in both the individual and team…

Towards the end of the summer we were contacted by Emily, a personal trainer living in Pensacola, Florida. Emily works for a small, non-profit gym called The 7 Project which caters specifically for clients who have physical disabilities; focussing on enhancing their day to day quality of life via fitness, nutrition and support. Emily told us how the organisation’s founder had discovered Active Hands after her injury, how our recently donated selection of gripping aids were now being used every day by clients at the gym and how she sees The 7 Project expanding in the future. This is their…

So here we are, 2020 – a new decade! But where are the hover chairs, the self-tying trainers, the robotic augmentations?! Hell, at this point I’d settle for some spasm medication that doesn’t leave me feeling like a partially deflated New Year’s Eve balloon! Yes, despite the many depictions of the futuristic society we’d all be living in by this point, it seems that some things never change and that there is only one real certainty as we start this new decade… It feels like this claim must be thrown about by a solid 75% of people whom, after having…

We were recently contacted by Lewis, a 26 year old fitness enthusiast from Romford, Essex; whose life over the past 12 years has been a rollercoaster ride of physical and emotional highs and lows. He spoke to us in depth about his condition, the depression that initially came with it, and how discovering Active Hands not only helped him overcome some of these challenges, but also allowed him to embark upon his dream career. This is his story… All his life, Lewis has been passionate about sports and keeping fit. As a child he competed in as many sports as…

After yet another awesome Instagram tag, we have been in contact with Kaitlin, a 28 year old lady from Pittsburgh, USA; who, in the space of only a couple of years, has gone from barely being able to use her left hand, to a fully fledged fitness and powerlifting enthusiast. She recently acquired an Active Hands General Purpose gripping aid and has already noticed the huge difference it has made to her fitness routine and what she is now capable of achieving in the gym. This is her story… Kaitlin was born with cerebral palsy, severely affecting the left side…

We were recently tagged on Instagram by athlete Jillian Elwart, who was using her Active Hands General Purpose gripping aid to take on the wild white water rapids of Arkansas, North America. Through several messages back and forth, we discovered that, on top of being a mother, dog owner and paediatric prosthetist, Jillian was also something of a prodigy on the kayaking scene, and that Active Hands had played a small, yet vital, role in her rapid rise towards the top of competitive kayaking. This is her story… Jillian was born in 1983 in Little Rock, the capital city of…

Phillippa using a Limb Difference aid on rowing machine in the gym

Philippa shares a flat with a housemate on the outskirts of London, and loves running, hiking, dancing and seeing friends. In her early thirties Philippa found herself returning home from hospital after losing her fingers. She was so relieved that the pain had ended that she hadn’t even considered the impact this new disability would have on her life. She so loves being active that she went on a cycling holiday in France in between operations on her hand! When her surgery was done, she had lost three fingers and part of her palm on her left hand and two…

Adam with cerebral palsy using General Purpose aid in gym.

Adam (thecpsavage) is a 30 year old from North West England with Cerebral Palsy. He can be found listening to rock music, binge watching TV shows, or playing playstation. But mostly, he enjoys lifting heavy things. Very heavy things. How does your cerebral palsy affect you? Adam has Cerebral Palsy (left sided hemiplegia). He explains, “it affects my balance on stairs, I can’t ride a bike, or run fast, that sort of thing.” However, the main area that is affected is his left arm, which lacks muscle mass and grip strength as well as being shorter than his right arm,…