CP-Pathfinding: Fitness for Life

The Fitness for Life guide is officially live!

A guide to getting active for young adults with cerebral palsy cerebralpalsypathfinding.org

Five years of CP-Achieve research has helped us better understand how adults with cerebral palsy participate in life, and in physical activity. Now, we’re excited to share how this research has been transformed into something powerful! Young adults with cerebral palsy led the ‘Fitness for Life’ project, creating an online resource (cerebralpalsypathfinding.org) that brings together research evidence and lived experiences to help people get active in their communities.

The young adults working on this project were crystal clear, research information on its own wasn’t enough. The Fitness for Life resource also needed practical tips, real stories from adults with cerebral palsy, authentic visual representation, and step-by-step guidance to enable people to develop their skills and confidence.

What makes this project innovative? Every part of the Fitness for Life resource was shaped by young adults with cerebral palsy. Young adults with cerebral palsy worked and contributed as research partners, working group members, videographers, photographers, interviewers, and story tellers. The working group also included parents and health professionals  who shared their experiences to help shape content.

The result? A comprehensive resource created by and for young adults with cerebral palsy, designed to enable greater participation in physical activities of their choosing, at home or in the community. It covers everything from understanding physical activity as a young adult, through to the practical steps of getting started (finding your ‘why’, making a plan, and getting ready), plus ongoing support for settling in, looking after your body and checking how things are going over time.

Real stories, real impact: Detailed stories have been generously shared by adults with high support needs, people who exercise in community gyms, and those with advice for managing pain and fatigue related to physical activity.

Young adults with cerebral palsy can use the Fitness for Life guide on their own, or together with their families, health professionals and community recreation services.

We are thankful to CP-Achieve for the Knowledge Translation fellowship, and to the Australian Physiotherapy Association Physiotherapy Research Foundation and the Healthy Trajectories Child and Youth Disability Research Hub for seed funding that made this work possible.

Ready to explore? Visit cerebralpalsypathfinding.org and be sure to let us know what you think!

Contacts: Stacey Cleary (s.cleary@latrobe.edu.au) and Georgia McKenzie (georgia.mckenzie@latrobe.edu.au)