When Nicole Luongo participates in an online exercise class, she might encounter something she can’t do, such as lunges. Having cerebral palsy makes it challenging for her to lunge, but she’s figured out a way to do it — she uses a chair for balance. That chair helps in a variety of exercises, including modified planks and burpees.
“I’m the queen of modification,” Luongo, 50, of Plantation, Florida, tells TODAY.com. “I modify probably almost every workout.” Luongo has a “mild” form of cerebral palsy (CP), a collection of motor disorders that impact someone’s movement, balance and posture, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s considered the “most common motor disability in childhood,” and it’s caused abnormal brain development that influences the ability to control muscles, the CDC says.
Luongo always enjoyed exercise and recalls watching exercise shows from people like Denise Austin on ESPN as a teen. At first, she bought an exercise bike and rode it in her room. Soon, she progressed. She got a Nordic track allowing her to “ski” an activity she might not be able to do otherwise. As trends changed, Luongo tried new workouts. Her evolving interest keeps exercise fun.
“I joined a gym, and I would take the group fitness classes there,” Luongo says. “I loved that they had a combination or cardio and strength (training).”
When faced with something she could not do, such as step aerobics, Luongo edited her workout. For example, she would do the same routine as the rest of the class without stepping up and down.
“The last thing I’m going to do is jeopardize me falling,” she explains. “I would just do without the step because you don’t need it.”
Being adaptable helped Luongo sustain exercise practices…
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