Q: I have polio in one of my legs and I use a knee brace to walk. As I use computers a lot at work, I do not get much excercise. I feel sometimes stressed and I dont feel healthy. A good work out would certainly revive one, but in my case I cannot do it. I cannot do all the exercises suggested normally as my right leg cannot support my body weight if I dont have the braces on, and with the the braces on, I cannot bend my knees easily. Can you suggest some simple excercise regimen I could follow to keep myself active and healthy.

A:You have expressed difficulty in walking and doing exercises. You have weakness only in one leg. Your energy consumption in walking with the caliper is more than the energy consumption in normal walking. For a person with a normal limb walking about half an hour per day provides sufficient exercise to stay healthy. In your case, with increase energy consumption the amount required may be even less. I cannot predict exactly the degree of difference. Even if you cannot walk, you could do pushups on the chair that you sit on after every hour or so. You could do 5 pushups to keep your upper limbs and shoulder muscles in good shape. It will also be healthy to do deep breathing exercises. It is important for you to understand that if you consider your physical impairment as a disability that itself is unhealthy. You build on whatever abilities you have and that is the only way you will be able to overcome the lack of function from your physical impairment. There are no magic formulas of exercises.