The following are helpful articles on a variety of topics from children with disabilities to adults with physical disabilities.
Submitted by: Jennifer McGregor
Explaining special needs to your child: 15 great children’s books– This article provides information on books to help promote understanding and tolerance of children with disabilities. Books include topics on ADHD, autism, visual and physical disabilities and invisible disabilities such as anxieties.
Developing Your Blind Child’s Sleep Schedule– Although this article focuses on the sleep pattern of children who are visually impaired, it is also helpful for children with autism who display an irregular sleeping pattern.
Working in the special needs profession often leaves little room for self-care and developing a healthy lifestyle including exercising, which why it is vital that you take the initiative and create an exercise plan that will work well for you.
Why Exercise?
Exercise is essential for your health and well-being for many reasons. For one, it helps to prevent disease. By moving one’s body daily, we reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. A second reason is that it helps us control our weight. As we get older, we tend to slow down which causes us to burn fewer calories. Working in a profession which can take an emotional and mental toll, causes one to just want to go home and relax. However, exercising less and burning fewer calories can lead to obesity.
Benefits of Exercising
There are many benefits to exercising
Improves memory and thinking skills. Research shows that working out on a regular basis boost the size of the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory and learning. This is done through aerobic exercises.
Relieves stress. Although not fully understood, regular exercise reduces anxiety and depression disorders. It is known however that aerobic exercise is associated with the lower sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for accelerating the heart rate and raising the blood pressure.
Boost energy. While little is known on the relationship between exercise and energy, studies show that people who exercise on a regular basis, are more likely to feel more energy than those who do not.
Four Types of Exercises
Endurance. includes aerobic activities which focus on your circulatory system and helps to build your endurance. exercises include walking, jumping, and running.
Strength. Also known as resistance training, serves the purpose of strengthening and toning your muscles. Exercises typically include weight lifting.
Balance. Helps to improve balance and strengthen your core. Exercises include tai chi and yoga.
Flexibility. Used for stretching your muscles and improving your range of motion. Stretching exercises are usually part of a warming up and cooling down routine.
Here are following at exercises that include the four types of exercises:
