SPRING 2016
This Is Me... … is a Shine group for anyone between the ages of 11 and 18 who has Spina Bifida and/or Hydrocephalus.
A Golden Year ahead! 2016 is Shine’s Golden Anniversary year! We’ve been around for 50 years, first as ASBAH and then as Shine… We’ll be celebrating all year and officially launching this Spring, so keep an eye out on the Shine Facebook, the website (www.shinecharity.org.uk), This Is Me and more!
A New Year! It’s a New Year, and a new beginning – so here are some fun ways to get healthy and active this year, whether you make a New Year’s resolution or not!
Fancy an active challenge for 2016?
Can I play sports if I have Hydrocephalus? If you have Hydrocephalus, and have a shunt, you may worry about whether your shunt will be damaged through exercise. In fact, shunts are difficult to break or dislodge and most sports and activities should be fine. Here are a few tips to help: • It may be wise to avoid high contact sports where players are grabbed around the neck such as judo or rugby, or where it is likely you’ll get hit hard in your stomach • Non-contact sports like rounders, track events, cross-country running and tennis should be fine • Swimming is an excellent all round sport! If you have Spina Bifida you may not notice that your legs are getting cold, so don’t stay in the water for too long
Exercise can help keep you in shape. It helps to boost circulation, keeps your muscles strong and, if you regularly use a wheelchair, it can reduce the risk of pressure sores. There are loads of ways to keep in shape, including sports.
• Don’t hang upside down (eg from wall bars) for any length of time
It can help to set yourself a fitness goal. Aim for something you can achieve:
• Follow the safety advice for your sport. Wear helmets for anything where injury to the head may occur – such as horse riding, skateboarding, cycling, climbing, and canoeing
• Do a 5K in your wheelchair - lots of 5K races are wheelchairfriendly. It’s an achievable distance and a great opportunity to train for strength and endurance! • Complete the Great North Run - this half marathon is in September, giving you nearly 9 months to train. Shine has charity places in the main event (minimum age 17) if you want to raise funds too! • Take part in a TribalSeries event - these are fully accessible mass-participation events designed for people of all abilities who have a disability. Choose from ParaTri (complete alone or as part of a team), ParaSwim, or ParaRun/Push. For more information on how to get active, to find an event, or for active challenge fundraising ideas, contact Cheyenne on 01733 421307 or email cheyenne.graves@shinecharity.org.uk
Get yourself ‘Wheely Fit’! Here are some handy contacts for wheelchair sports: • www.getkidsgoing.com • www.parasport.org.uk • www.wheelpower.org.uk • www.efds.co.uk/
• If you have an LP (lumbar peritoneal) shunt, avoid twisting, as in aerobics and some dance, or sports where you need to twist at the waist, such as golf
• Contact Shine or your GP or Neurosurgeon if you have any questions
Kaela says...
“I have just started going back to wheelchair basketball and it is really good fun. I don’t use my wheelchair very often at home so basketball is a great way for me to build upper body strength. My arms ache a bit after a two hour session but this gets better the more I go. I love the fact that at wheelchair basketball I can go at the same speed as everyone else and everyone is treated equally. I also love swimming. This is a great sport for someone with Spina Bifida. My legs don’t work well in water but I am a strong swimmer and am good at all the strokes, using mostly my arms. My favourites are front crawl and breaststroke.”
Imogen says...
“I love cheerleading, swimming and trampoline lessons. Trampolining is the most amazing thing ever. I’m looking forward to being in a cheerleading show with my cousin and friends”