I mentioned in a post before that I think the best way to combat fatigue is exercise. The subject of exercise seem to be a very hot topic at the moment, especially how to get kids and teens more active and fit. I think this is very important. Had 15-year-old me seen what 31-year-old me just wrote, she would probably have screamed at me and called me a traitor. When I was a teen I was very lazy, and I was very overweight (the clothes I had as a teen are still big on me and I’m six months pregnant). I didn’t really eat lots of sweets and unhealthy food; mostly it was due to inactivity. I used to hate (H-A-T-E, absolutely detest!) P.E. The only joy in it was that I fancied the super athlete in my class and there was the odd chance I would get to play on his team.
So I was big, and I was lazy. About sx years ago I saw a doctor in Sweden after suffering from severe stomach aches. I used to hate going to the doctor in Sweden (almost as much as P.E.), as Swedish doctors were never very politically correct. They would tell me straight out that I was fat. Anyway, this doctor told me I had gallstones, and mumbled something about weight loss. I went home and thought about it, and decided that enough was enough. That Autumn I started to exercise and follow a healthy eating program, and by Spring (just when I moved back to England again after going back to Sweden for two years. Long story… I might share it at some later point) I had lost 27 kilos (don’t ask me what that is in pounds or stone, please!). I felt better than I ever had, I could run without being short of breath, and I joined a gym without feeling scared that people would say nasty things. In all honesty, I was quite happy with myself.
Sadly, when I had my first MS relapse I had to stay away from the gym for a long time. I fell out of shape and yo-yoed a bit in my weight, but started to realise that it really isn’t what you weigh that is important; it’s how you feel. I think society has completely lost track of what is healthy and what isn’t. Some people will have a natural stick-thin figure, others will be bigger, but they can be just as healthy. This obsession with size the whole country seems to have is absurd. Ok, I’ll stop going off the rails about this subject as I could rant about it for hours. But all in all, we shouldn’t want to exercise and lose weight to be able to wear 11-year-old girls’ jeans. We should do it because we want to stay healthy and live longer!
When I was diagnosed with MS I really understood how important it is to try and stay healthy, and to build up the muscles so they get stronger – especially the ones that might have gone a bit wobbly. I feel a bit funny in my right arm and leg at times, and I know I should really work on building the muscles up there. Around this time last year I started going to the gym three times a week. I would go after work as it was best times for my fatigue. I also walked everywhere (I still do as I don’t have a car). Since my diagnosis I had never felt healthier. After getting pregnant, I have to admit I have gotten lazy again. I had to stop going to the gym when I was about three months pregnant. I was feeling so sick all the time that I was scared of throwing up on the treadmill! My eating has also been somewhat weird, with urges and cravings, and certain things that made me want to cry to just think about eating…
But I do know the importance of getting back into shape again, and I’m planning to do my best with this. Now don’t get me wrong – I have no grand disillusions of being some yummy mummy a la Nicole Ritchie or any of those celebs. I just want to be a healthy mum who has enough energy to play with her child. And get back into making those muscles stronger.
Many people I know with MS are really hardcore with their exercise. They run, climb mountains and all sorts of things that will make you tired just hearing about them. I don’t expect to do that. For me it’s good enough to do with I can. I once went to an MS therapy centre and saw people with very little mobility still taking part and doing what they could. It was very inspirational. The best thing I have ever seen when it comes to doing what you can was at last years MS Awareness week, when the MS Trust organized a mass abseil for people with MS. There were people in wheelchairs abseiling down that viaduct. It was truly amazing!
Here I am going over the bridge!
Anyway, to end this rather long rant, do what you can. You don’t have to sign up to a gym; walking can do wonders. Alternatively, get a Wii Fit. It’s amazing fun, and you can do it at home, whatever the weather. And please don’t look at the magazines and compare yourself to Madonna and what have you…
xoxo
Hellie
Tags: Exercise, Me, MS, Staying Active
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