1st ever DPI Adaptive Fitness Games was a success!!!!

Hello Team,

 

I wanted to share a letter that I sent out this morning to everyone involved in making our first ever Adaptive Fitness Games such a success.

 

It was an amazing event and feedback so far is that everyone loved it and is anxiously awaiting our summer games.

 

We definitely saw some areas for improvement, but overall we are extremely confident that we can now hold an open invitational when the time comes. This way anyone at any level can come from anywhere to compete, how cool will that be!!!

 

Stay tuned for more pics of the event....

 

"Just wanted to send a special thank you to the DPI team...Pablo, Katie, Baldwin, Stephanie and Meaghan.

You guys and gals have been so instrumental in keeping the programming running smoothly and in supporting DPI leading up to and during the games yesterday.

Bigger things ahead, glad to have you all working with me.

To all the volunteers, you all rocked your assignments yesterday. Everything went way better than I had planned. Thank you for giving up your Saturday to help us out.

Joan and Harsh, thank you for having us lead the fitness programming and for giving us the platform to do the games. 

All of the competitors...you guys were amazing!!!

I hope you all had as much fun competing as we did designing and putting together this event.

Congratulations to the winners:

Stroke Division: Christie

Open Division: Twila

Quadriplegia Division: Billy

Paraplegia Division: Harsh

This event was a vision that we had for a very long time, it was incredible to see it realized.

We are looking forward to an even bigger and better Open Invitational Summer Games "outdoors"

THANK YOU ALL!!!!"

-Devon

Check out the article from the post here:

http://wapo.st/1MhhwKT
 

The Disability Fitness Handbook is finally here!

Hey Team,

I'm so excited to present this to you guys.... www.disabilityfitnesshandbook.com

I feel like I've been working on this book for forever, there have been so many speed bumps that I have encountered that prevented or delayed my working on the book, but I persevered, held strong, and Never gave up because I really feel that this can be an extremely helpful tool for all of you and I wanted it to be just right so that you will love it as much I loved putting it together.

As an Adaptive Fitness Trainer, I really see the benefit in a book like this for people living with a disability that just aren't sure....Not sure about nutrition, not sure about adaptive sports, not sure about fitness or specifically what exercises to do.

My hope is that this book will fill some gaps and present some "A ha" moments so that you all will begin to or increase your current level of fitness and become more sure of your Abilities.

I really hope you enjoy it.....

Check out some more info on the book at the following website: www.disabilityfitnesshandbook.com

on this site you will be able to download a free chapter, take a look at some of the downloadable forms that are in the book and learn a little more about the book.

You will be able to purchase a PDF copy, Amazon Kindle download or a Barnes and Noble download for just $5.95

Also you can check out and leave comments on the Disability Fitness Handbook Facebook page, like us and friend us spread the word about this awesome resource.

As always....

Keep Fighting and Never Give Up!

-Devon

I want you to be prepared.....What to expect during your fitness assessment

Hey Team,

I want you to be prepared.....

I've recently been completing a lot of fitness assessments for adaptive training as well as personal training and thought it be a good idea to list what you should expect out of your initial visits with your personal trainer/adaptive trainer so that you can make the most out of your first visit and make an informed decision on committing to sessions with your new trainer.

So you've found a trainer and have set up an initial visit, here are some things to expect out of your first visit.

• This is an information gathering meeting: Be prepared to have information ready to provide to your trainer, this includes: Emergency contact info, your medication lists, recent injuries or ailments, etc...

• You will be presented with release forms to be signed before any physical activity begins: Consent forms, confidentiality forms, and medical release forms are the norm.

• The trainer will conduct a question/answer period including your past exercise history, medical history, current nutrition habits and will discuss realistic short term and long term goals that as a team you will strive to meet.

• You may have your baseline body fat, heart rate, blood pressure, and body measurements checked.

Once you have completed the above, you will now move onto the physical assessment portion of the visit.

This will include an assessment of your current strength and endurance (ie, push up test/sit-up test) form and function (squat test) Balance and cardio endurance (Step test)

If your living with a disability an adaptive training assessment will be performed. This will include an assessment of your abilities to perform tasks such as sitting balance, transitioning from sit to stand, your ability to get down to and up from the floor, and your upper body strength and endurance

(Adaptive training assessments will really vary per the individual and the disability)

Now that all of the above have been completed, your trainer will schedule some follow up visits with you and will implement a program based off of your assessment designed to meet your goals and your trainers goals for you.

As mentioned in previous posts, consistency is key and is instrumental in achieving progression towards goals.


If your completing an assessment in your home try to do the following in preparation for your assessment:

• Have an open space dedicated to the assessment

• Wear workout clothing (your going to be moving around aren't you)

• Bring your water ahead of time

What to look for in an adaptive fitness trainer:

• Many of the accredited certifying agencies are offering certifications for exercise therapy or adaptive fitness. This is a specialty certification, usually in addition to a Personal Training Certification.

• Ask to make sure your trainer is insured (just in case)

• Ask about your trainers background working with similar clients.

Keep an eye out for my book coming out the end of this month, in it I will touch on fitness that can be completed at home with supervision for those recovering from Stroke, SCI, Amputation, or who are Seniors, it will also cover self assessments, nutrition, and adaptive sports

The book is a real comprehensive guide and I'm excited to share it with everyone.


That's all for now Team,

Keep Fighting and Never Give Up!

-Devon