Dear team, hi! It’s been a bit too long since my last entry.. what’s new? But get this: it’s 2009.... and it’s high time to get a jump start on keeping up this blog scene. Let’s get rolling with a little rap about universal design and exercise equipment.

Over the holiday, I was at home in Iowa and the weather was simply .. miserable! Certainly a winter wonderland. We were snowed in for about 3 days in a row, and among other activities involving gifts and egg nog and family antics, I also had to do a bit of studying for my board exams for med school. What this summed up to be was a whole lot of cabin fever - lots of people, some books, and highly inclement weather outside. As a bit of stress relief and just to *move*, I was eager to do a smidgen of exercise. The options were to brave the elements to head to Sioux Falls (1/2 hour drive from our family farm) and find a gym, OR, to hop on my mom’s exercise bike. Now - I can hear you exclaim - “Bike? But Cheri, you don’t walk.” Let me paint a scene for you.

Here’s Cheri, perched on a Schwinn Airdyne exercise bike (circa 1984), mom’s prized piece of exercise equipment. Hovering on the little bike seat, legs extended out in front of me and setting on top of the wheel well, held in place with duct tape and bubble wrap (for pressure relief - be nice to the skin!). Knees tied together with a particularly stout winter scarf (I think it was pink). Sweat band (Nike of course) catching the perspiration rolling off my forehead. Getting my groove on, utilizing the back-and-forth motion of the upper body component of the bike. I’d estimate that I was able to get my heart rate up to at least...oh...the 140’s? Yes, that’s right. Where there’s a will there’s a way, and we Blauwet women are blessed with ingenuity.

This brings up the question, however, of the options available for people with physical disabilities to exercise in mainstream venues. When tossing on a pair of sneakers and taking a quick jog isn’t an option, what comes next? A few large cities or well-resourced rehabilitation centers have adaptive gyms, which are totally great. But what about your Average Joe traveler? On business? On vacation? Visiting family? Most certainly, the gym at the Holiday Inn doesn’t have any upper body cardiovascular equipment.

I truly believe that one key component of offering opportunities for people with a disability to access physical activity is to make sure that all mainstream gyms have at least one piece of equipment that fits this bill. It’s an issue of equal opportunity. As a young professional, I’m often on the road to work and/or play.. shouldn’t I have the same opportunity to grab a quick workout as my peers? It might seem like small detail, but it’s an issue of access that I think needs to stay on our advocacy radar. Most certainly, we need to continue to build adaptive gyms that offer a multitude of options and opportunities for people with mobility impairment - however - to mainstream the concept is equally as important....

Soapboxing in 2009,
Cheri