EXERCISE VIDEO SUCCESS STORY
Lisa is a success story $100 winner.
Lisa 's charity gift went to
NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY
Fighting MS with Exercise & Working Out
Name: Lisa
Forum screen name: None (not a forum member)
Location: Fort Collins, Colorado
Age: 48
My story:
I grew up active and fit through constant outdoor activity, competitive horseback riding, skiing, softball, volleyball and other activities. I never had a weight problem and because of my level of physical activity, never had to worry about what I ate – until college.
To make a long story short, I went to college, gained weight, went through graduate school, got married, had three kids in two years (one set of twins) and my life drastically changed. Once I discovered working out at home, I was able to regain my fitness, get my weight under control and begin to enjoy teaching my boys to engage in and enjoy physical fitness. I still ski black diamonds (thanks to all the step workouts, my knees are in great shape!) and am in better shape than most my age. Working out also helped me through a difficult marriage and divorce.
Then about two months ago I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. After the initial shock wore off and I became more educated about the disease, I became convinced that one way to fight this disease is through physical activity – a plan that is encouraged and supported by my doctors and those who have lived with it for many years.
MS is a neurological disease that can lead to disability and is different in every person. In me, my right side is affected and my right leg and arm don’t always do what I want them to do. My balance is not the greatest and I often stumble or loose strength and coordination in my right leg and arm.
Working out to old tapes that I have had for a very long time allows my body and brain to do things that it inherently ‘remembers’ so that if my leg or arm are not functioning quite right, I don’t have to worry about learning new routines and I can keep moving. Working out from home allows me the reassuring privacy that if I stumble or trip, no one is watching and wondering if something is wrong with me. It also allows me the flexibility to vary my workouts based on how I am feeling on any given day. The increased energy level that comes from exercise and fitness helps to counteract the fatigue that is almost always present with MS.
But more than anything, working out gives me a feeling of accomplishment and control over my mind and my body. I feel as if I am not only doing things now for my physical health, but I am doing something for my neurological health. I may stumble, and my right side may not be as strong as it used to be, but if I work daily to keep my brain and my body active, maybe it will relearn a few things and I can regain the coordination and strength that have been lost. At the very least, I will delay or stop the ravages of this disease and live an active, healthy life.
MS is a disease that has no cure and for many is disabling –- working out gives me a way to fight back and have control over a disease that I will not allow to control me or ruin my life. Every day that I complete another workout is a personal victory over MS and another success!!!