sheSTRENGTH Adaptive
Anna Woods

Adaptive Fitness: Power of Good Music & a Ball

Keeping it simple and fun. I bought this red ball for $2 at Wal-Mart paired with a great 1960’s playlist on Spotify, and you can encourage physical activity, engagement, increased heart rate, good laughter, eye-hand coordination, and reaction times for 20-30 minutes. Adaptive fitness does not need to be overthought

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sheSTRENGTH Adaptive
Anna Woods

Adaptive Fitness with Braden: Dumbbell Control

People with low motor control, such as Brayden, who has ASD, struggle with safely using dumbbells, especially in overhead movements. As a trainer/coach, I’ve learned that providing a target for the client to reach toward with his dumbbells helps him keep control. In this video, I lessen as many of

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sheSTRENGTH Adaptive
Anna Woods

Adaptive Fitness: Weighted Baseball

When working with clients who dislike the word “fitness” or “exercise” with every fiber of his or her being, the trainer/coach has to get creative with implementing “fitness/exercise” into his daily activity. For this man, I brought in a weighted PVC pipe (full of beans) and a playground ball. We

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sheSTRENGTH Adaptive
Anna Woods

“Do not feel sorry for me…”

“You know what the difference is with you? I feel like when you look at me and speak, you don’t even notice my wheelchair…you see me as a person and treat me like anyone else…” “I don’t feel sorry for myself, so why should you?” “Don’t pity me.” “Don’t talk

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sheSTRENGTH Adaptive
Anna Woods

Adaptive Fitness #2: Ben and I

Session #2 Update with Ben. —- I decided to switch from using a stick to a different manipulative that Ben seemed to show interest in watching me play catch with other clients. So I started tossing the ball to him. And for the first 5-7 throws he just closed his

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sheSTRENGTH Adaptive
Anna Woods

Adaptive Fitness: Ben and Me

Building relationships with clients by gaining their trust through a calm voice, engagement at their level, and meeting them where they are at–CONSISTENTLY, is the foundation for progressing in fitness with clients like Ben. See our 2nd and 3rd sessions and the progress we made, here. For more information about

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sheSTRENGTH Adaptive
Anna Woods

Adaptive Fitness: Weight Room Inclusion

Most people with developmental delays, such as Cerebral Palsy, want to be seen and treated like anyone else. Many of their biggest insecurities are how people see them in their wheelchairs.  They do not want to be a burden on anyone more than they feel they already are.   So in

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sheSTRENGTH Adaptive
Anna Woods

Training Owen: Fragile X

Proprioceptive Loading In this video we are carrying a 14 lb medicine ball through miniature obstacles. We slowly worked up to this combination over the past few months.  We started with just walking through the obstacles, over them, and around them.  Then we crawled through them* (see below) From there

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sheSTRENGTH Adaptive
Anna Woods

Sensory Input Prior to a Workout Session

One of the warm-up’s I do with clients who have spinal cord injury or sensory struggles to help alert and organize the brain and prepare the body for movement is rolling the areas of the body we will use with a lacrosse ball.  I use moderate intensity of pressure through

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sheSTRENGTH Adaptive
Anna Woods

sheSTRENGTH Adaptive: Autism and Exercise

Mr. Landon and I played CandyLand with my son, Blake. Blake and Landon both have special needs. Autism and Down Syndrome. Despite these diagnosis, these 2 boys are exercising with me using the game CandyLand. Every card space has a different exercise and rep scheme assigned to it. The boys

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Welcome to the sheStrength Squad

Please fill out the information below to the best of your knowledge. And we will get started! I can NOT wait to meet you and introduce you to our sheSTRENGTH Squad. Ready to gain new confidence and strength?? Let’s do it. See you soon, Anna