´óÏó´«Ã½

A study of disabled gym users revealed that when it comes to exercise, disabled people have staying power - we are almost twice as likely to still be using the gym at any given point in time than non-disabled users.

This is an incredible fact, given that the gym industry hasn't always been exactly accommodating of our needs. In 1998, the Gary Jelen Sports Foundation commissioned research into the fitness industry and disabled people. The research found that facilities were often inaccessible, staff did not have the right levels of awareness and training, and they did not know how to communicate effectively with disabled people.

New powers under the Disability Discrimination Act should mean that things are changing in the nation's gyms, but attitudes it may take longer to alter people's attitudes.

Even the debate about fitness and diet seems to exclude us; it's almost as though if you're disabled, you can't be fit. Take the current craze for pedometers. The target of taking 10,000 steps a day excludes one group of disabled people - wheelchair users.

To put matters right, here on Ouch we're doing our bit as part of the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s Fat Nation campaign. We've assembled some key facts about exercise, including the pedometer question, and we've also asked some celebrated disabled people - plus Will Ward from ´óÏó´«Ã½ ONE's Fat Nation: the Big Challenge, who has Coeliac disease - how they keep fit and eat healthy. So let's get going!