Exercise and MS

I'm very familiar with pain.

And coordination problems.

And intense fatigue.

Living with MS is hard. Its constant. Its painful and debilitating and sometimes depressing.

But I've learned that the only things I can control in life are my choices and my reactions.  Especially with regard to my MS.  The disease itself is not mine to puppeteer.

And MS won't stop me.  Pain won't stop me, imbalance won't stop me.

They never have.  Maybe I'm stubborn or maybe I'm determined.

I've made the choice to do what I can with my body, and to embrace my ever-changing abilities.  But I felt I needed some help to guide my physical activity in the right direction.

I started working with Tara Zorn, personal trainer, of Tara Zorn Fitness, to work on keeping my body healthy and strong, especially as I age with a disease like MS.  I wanted to become stronger, to become more familiar with my abilities, and to work with my pain and myriad of symptoms.

Exercise and moving is what our bodies are supposed to do.  And if we stop completely because of pain or any other symptom, it weakens us, it ages us, and it makes us unhealthy.

Tara knows this, and her motto is actually "Believing exercise heals."

And I believe it now.

Not in the sense that exercise will "cure" my MS, but in the sense that having a stronger, healthy body will make me more equipped to live with me MS.  Make me happier and less stressed.

And things are going really well with my new regime.  I can do things I never expected, while still listening to my body closely, and I am surprising myself!

I've been having constant foot pain for four months now, and haven't been able to walk much at all.  Not being able to walk has affected my mood and my body.  But Tara finds exercises for me that don't affect my foot pain or even always involve my feet.  Its been amazingly helpful.

My normal isn't what it used to be, and I need to make accommodations for my MS.  But moving and exercising, plus being conscious of what I consume (and no after dinner snacking!), makes me stronger physically and mentally.

I'm losing weight, losing inches, gaining muscle, and feeling awesome about myself.  Even while living with pain and a degenerative disease.

Thank you Tara, for pushing me to keep going.  And for working with me through MS and all the challenges that come with it.