For years after my MS diagnosis, I tried to prioritize physical activity, but having a chronic disease, finishing grad school and planning my wedding made it impossible to maintain an active lifestyle. It all added up and I gained 40 pounds. I was sad and disappointed in myself and the state of my health.
Then came my actual wedding day – I was the heaviest I had ever been in my life. I remember looking at the scale that day and thinking, “Well, everyone tries to look the best ever on their wedding day, and here I am doing the opposite.” After the wedding, I continued to feel terrible physically and mentally. I just wanted to get back to feeling healthy and happy like how I did prior to gaining weight.
At the time, a friend had a small fitness studio that held cycling, strength training and yoga classes. I found a class I liked – a calisthenics style strength training class that used your own bodyweight and incorporated exercises I had never seen before. I loved how it challenged my brain in addition to my body. Taking those classes taught me to connect with and love my body in a way I hadn’t before. Over time, I lost the 40 pounds and my mood, sleep, and diet improved too.
The biggest surprise through the entire fitness journey, was experiencing the mental health benefits of being active – I was WAY less stressed and more focused now. I became stronger and more confident in myself, which was beneficial outside of the gym too.
Now, I am all about finding little ways to add movement to my life. That being said, MS can cause muscle spasms, tremors, numbness, weakness, fatigue, coordination problems, dizziness, depression and more. These problems can occur periodically or be chronic. Between that and life in general, it is challenging to stay active at times. But, there are a few things I have found to be helpful in maintaining an active lifestyle:
It’s not all or nothing. If I sit in front of a computer and work all day and night when I had planned to be more active, I don’t feel guilty or give up completely. I move on and try again the next day. I meet myself where I am that day and adjust accordingly. On the days I have the energy I will park farther away or take the stairs or do a more challenging workout. If I am exhausted, I rest. I’m my own hype girl daily. Sometimes that means I am saying, “YESSSS Sam, feeling good today, let’s do a workout!” Other times it means I am saying, “YESSS Sam, you are doing a great job sitting on the couch and recharging!” Basically, I affirm myself, which helps me feel good with whatever choices I made that day. I’m grateful for whatever I can get. MS DOES affect my life daily. I’ve experienced enough relapses to know the ability to be active can be taken away in an instant. Even if it is a small win like being able to walk to get the mail, I celebrate and am grateful for it! I have fun doing it. If I am going to expend energy on it, it’s going to be fun! I garden, I lift weights, I take walks b/c that’s what works for me. But the options for activities to get moving are literally endless!
Whether it’s 5 minutes or 50, adding movement to your day may be just the mental break or stress reliever you are looking for. And, now that it is (very slowly) getting warmer out, take it outside and enjoy the sunshine and higher temps. 🙂