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Factors That Affect an Individual Participating in Physical Conditioning Activities

Regular exercise is a good way to maintain a healthy heart and normal weight range. It can be dispiriting if you have a condition or an illness that prevents you from exercising or that affects your normal range of mobility. Several factors may cause this, so if you feel the frustration of not being as physically fit as you would like, chances are you share one or more reasons with others.

  1. Labyrinthitis

    • Labyrinthitis is an infection, or even death of the inner ear, which plays a key role in balance. Individuals with this condition may find walking difficult, and in some cases the dizziness this condition causes can make it impossible for them to sit upright in a chair without the discomfiting sensation that they are going to fall off.

    Obesity

    • Those with a high body mass index may be classed (by their doctor or health advisor) as morbidly obese. Moving around with so much excessive weight on the body can cause exhaustion and breathlessness, because of the workload on the heart. People who are morbidly obese are advised to lose weight through diet first, then to start a medically prescribed exercise program.

    Arthritis

    • Arthritis is inflammation of the joints, and can cause great pain in the hips, knees and wrists. Mobility and physical exercise can be impossible or intensely painful for people who suffer with this condition.

    Emotional Blockages

    • People who have had horrible experiences at school sports classes may go on to suffer panic attacks and extreme anxiety at the thought of participating in physical exercise as an adult. These memories, if traumatic enough, can be powerful enough to hold an adult back from taking part in physical exercise activities.

    Paralysis

    • Individuals who have had an accident that led to spinal damage may be limited in their range of movement. There may be damage to the spinal cord that affects movement of the legs, or the damage may be higher up, affecting movement of the arms as well. Again, any kind of mobility or physical conditioning program should be medically prescribed and supervised by a physiotherapist.

    Auto-Immune Disease

    • An auto-immune disease such as multiple sclerosis (MS) can affect balance, movement and coordination, affecting the sufferer's ability to move about and exercise freely.

    Heart Disease/Angina

    • The presence of heart disease means the heart muscle cannot pump oxygenated blood around the body quickly enough to meet the demands of physical exertion. Certain low-impact exercises can be carried out carefully, but only under the advice and guidance of a heart specialist or general practitioner.

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