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A lazy person’s guide to exercise My name is Karen. I have had MS for over 11 years. I get tired easily, dislike the heat, have wobbly legs and walk with a distinct limp. When I get too hot or too tired my speech becomes slurred and I can hardly hold myself up, let alone walk. I have a dip in my sofa from where I sit too much and a fat dog in the garden begging for walks. By my own admission I am the laziest person when it comes to exercise. I hate it with a passion! It took me 6 years after being diagnosed to start exercising. I had every excuse but may main one was ‘I’ve got MS! How could I possibly exercise and do what others do?’ My head was dominated by negative thoughts that made me fear my MS and how others would treat me if they found out. When I was first diagnosed I attended a newly diagnosed session then didn’t return to the MS Society for 6 years. A great social worker from the MS Society helped me reconnect and ‘tricked’ me into starting an exercise program for ‘research purposes’. This was my first introduction to whole body vibration therapy and much to my surprise I am still going 5 years later. I have a session once a week where I stand on a noisy, vibrating platform and do strengthening and stretching exercises. Pleasant but nagging voices from the physio team demand that I ‘pull in my stomach’, ‘keep my chest up’, ‘keep my elbows in’ and ‘keep breathing’. They have trained me so well that every time I see one of them I automatically pull my shoulders back and brace my tummy muscles. After I use this machine I feel exhausted but once I rest I feel very energised. After a few days the muscle soreness starts but this tells me I worked hard! I have never been able to set aside time at home to exercise (I have 4 children and 2 still live at home) so I try and incorporate simple exercises into my every day activities. Eg. When I’m standing at the sink to wash the dishes I do calf raises and lunges. I bend forwards when I’m sitting on the toilet to stretch my back (being careful not to fall off). I brush my teeth and stretch the backs of my legs at the same time. I do bicep curls with my full shopping bags at the shops. I only hold onto solid things because of my balance. Even when I broke 2 toes (I rolled over my foot whilst sitting on a computer chair) I still exercised when I could. As a result of regular exercise I have noticed that the strength & balance in my legs and around my feet has improved. This has meant that I can actually wear feminine slip on shoes (ballet slippers) instead of lace up sneakers! I have also lost 10cm around my waist. As well as lazy I am also vain so this was great! I think eating healthy helped – I have also eaten fairly healthily but I do try to incorporate more fruit and vegetables into my diet and avoid junk food when I can. Not so long ago I realised I needed good trunk control and arm strength to continue driving my car with hand controls. I started ‘pumping iron’. Well, using little hand weights. Initially I started with 0.5 kg and only 5 repetitions, now I lift 1.5 kg weights and complete 20 repetitions with each exercise. Recently I have started with 2kg weights and hold them over my head for much longer periods than I ever imagined. My arms don’t hurt anymore when I drive and the wobbly bits are less wobbly! A lot of things have changed because of MS but I am still the same person inside. I have learnt to take responsibility for my own health and realise that a change in attitude has helped me the most. It has taken me many years to learn that if I am persistent and patient, change will happen (but not overnight!). I don’t like to fail so I start with small goals that I can achieve and then gradually increase my goals over time. Finally, I realise that I could not have done it on my own. Working with those at the MS Society who understand my MS has been crucial to understanding my body and overcoming my limitations. Karen |
