Exercise and MS


When you Google “Multiple Sclerosis and Exercise”, not too many options appear in the search results. What does come up in the results are usually one page of information about taking it easy, not exerting yourself and watching out for overheating. The recommendations are usually aqua-aerobics, yoga or tai-chi. I’m not saying that swimming or yoga are bad forms of exercise, but they are not the ONLY forms of exercise that are good or beneficial for us MSers. In fact, I find it somewhat frustrating that this is the picture painted of what is allowed and expected of individuals who have MS. In fact, I believe this is what is perpetuating the stereotype of rampant disability in MS.
Benefits of Exercise
Exercise and movement is imperative for cellular and bodily function. Many processes in our bodies need us to move in order to function properly. How you define exercise is up to you, but there’s no doubt that it is a positive thing. Multiple studies have proven that exercise can be helpful for decreasing depression, improving energy, sleep and many other benefits. The benefits of exercise for us MSers are vary similar. Including the benefits listed above, other benefits include improvements with fatigue, pain, muscle tone, stability, balance, coordination, quality of life, social interaction, strength, gait issues and many others. All studies that I reviewed stated that participants saw improvements while participating in exercise than compared to when they were not exercising. However, some forms of exercise were superior to others in terms of participants retaining their gains over time.
Exercise for MS
Exercise is clearly beneficial for MSers, but what type? if not only yoga or swimming, what else is there? In my opinion, as an individual with MS and a Certified Personal Trainer, I believe that everyone should be doing what they can and want to be doing. That’s not a cop out answer, but as MS is an individual disease, your exercise program should be individualized as well. Just like there are no ‘one size fits all’ diets, there are no ‘one size fits all’ workout plans when talking about working out with MS (or working out in general).
Many exercises are positive for MSers. From walking to strength training, if your symptoms and body allow it, go for it. If you’re new to working out, and eventually want to workout for 30 minutes at a time, I recommend starting with 10 minutes at a time, then gradually increasing and seeing how your body responds and try this 3 days a week. I also recommend talking to your doc, physical therapist or a personal trainer to get a program to work with. Yes, there are many programs available online. Many are great, but many are not so great. Speaking with a professional that can speak to you about symptoms, goals and create a plan based on those can be very helpful.  The bottom line is don’t let a diagnosis stop you from starting or continuing physical activity. 
Exercise Considerations for MSers
There are many things to take into consideration when thinking about working out with MS. Some key symptoms to be aware of are balance, stability and gait. Basically anything that will interfere with preforming exercises in a safe way and with proper form. If symptoms interfere with those two things, then you should find a new exercise. Something else that I hear often is that fatigue gets in the way of working out. Let me start out by saying, I get you. I’ve been there tooThis is where we have options:
  1. Not working out at all. That’s perfectly ok! When I feel like getting up to get water is the hardest thing in the world, there’s no way that you could get me to do a workout, no matter how much I wanted to.
  2. Trying to move in ANY way. This is usually the option I like, and try to get to. Whether it’s a walk to the end of the street, 5-10 minutes of yoga or stretching in your living room, just getting some movement in for your cells is great.
Obviously it will be your choice about what you choose. But no matter what you choose, don’t let the opinion of others cloud your thought process, and please don’t judge yourself. Something to remember is that working out helps to relieve fatigue. I know that seems counter intuitive, but it is one of the symptoms that improves for everyone when they exercise.
Also, overheating is a concern for many. When our body temperature rises, often times we experience and increase in symptoms. These aren’t new symptoms, but something called a pseudo-exacerbation, where old symptoms become unmasked. Depending on your disease course, this could bring an end to your workout real quick. Therefore, staying cool during a workout is very important. Drinking ice water is one of the fastest ways to bring down your body temperature. Having that on hand for your workout is a great idea. Also, having a cool towel to use to cool off every so often is helpful. Being mindful about time of day and environment is helpful as well. Mid day isn’t the best time, and a hot gym might not be the best sometimes either. If these can’t be avoided, either ask for a fan or bring your own if one can’t be provided.
Something I have learned since having MS is that we need to be our own best advocate. Please don’t be nervous to ask for what you need, or to supply it yourself. You’d be surprised at what people and places allow you to do on your own, especially if they can’t do it for you.
Having MS doesn’t mean we have to quit working out, quite the contrary actually. We just need to be aware of our bodies, symptoms and make sure that whatever exercise we are participating in is helpful and not harmful. If you are interested in learning more about a specific workout plan, feel free to contact me here, we can work together to figure out a plan that is best for you!
As always, leave me a comment and tell me your thoughts! I’d love to hear what you think about exercise, or what society thinks about MSers and exercise.

I’M ALISSA!

I help women who have also been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis make specific and personalized diet, lifestyle & subconscious changes so that they can begin to heal their body, reduce disease symptoms, and return to a life they love.hey there,

follow along on Instagram:

I think I’ve said this in every group I’ve run and with every client I meet with.

(A gross oversimplification disclaimer)
But this: 
people pleasing, being all or nothing, perfectionist (I could go on) 

Is (part of) why we got MS.

These patterns we play out each day are the hardest thing to change- and they also keep us with high stress, high MS symptoms and feeling like crap in our bodies.

Changing these patterns takes awareness, focus and support- all of which you get in Holistically Healing MS.

•If you want the ability to say NO when you’d usually just say yes.. (stop overriding yourself)
•If you want to be ok with putting your needs first (cause I know you’re not lol)
•If you want to finally feel like you’re good enough and doing enough (cause you are)

Join us in HHMS. Along with lifestyle strategies, we go process the emotional burden all those patterns have- which helps to move through them.

Comment HHMS below and I’ll send you the link.

I think I’ve said this in every group I’ve run and with every client I meet with.

(A gross oversimplification disclaimer)
But this:
people pleasing, being all or nothing, perfectionist (I could go on)

Is (part of) why we got MS.

These patterns we play out each day are the hardest thing to change- and they also keep us with high stress, high MS symptoms and feeling like crap in our bodies.

Changing these patterns takes awareness, focus and support- all of which you get in Holistically Healing MS.

•If you want the ability to say NO when you’d usually just say yes.. (stop overriding yourself)
•If you want to be ok with putting your needs first (cause I know you’re not lol)
•If you want to finally feel like you’re good enough and doing enough (cause you are)

Join us in HHMS. Along with lifestyle strategies, we go process the emotional burden all those patterns have- which helps to move through them.

Comment HHMS below and I’ll send you the link.
...

18 8
At some point you have to start trusting the things you’re doing will help and stop jumping to a new thing each week.

Giving up gluten one week?
Then dairy the next?
Maybe jumping into an exercise class a week later?

At some point you gotta pick 1-3 things and stick with them long enough to give them time to make changes in your body!!

Not just a day or week either.

Yes change can happen fast, but usually not that fast. You need to stick with things for long enough to see if they’ll help.

Often you give up before it has a chance to shift anything.

If you’ve been bouncing from thing to thing, throwing random things at the wall and hoping they stick, hoping something will move the needle an inch so you feel even a little bit better.. 

My course Holistically Healing MS is for you.

This is the place to find what works for you, to decrease your MS symptoms.

Comment HHMS below and I’ll send you details.

At some point you have to start trusting the things you’re doing will help and stop jumping to a new thing each week.

Giving up gluten one week?
Then dairy the next?
Maybe jumping into an exercise class a week later?

At some point you gotta pick 1-3 things and stick with them long enough to give them time to make changes in your body!!

Not just a day or week either.

Yes change can happen fast, but usually not that fast. You need to stick with things for long enough to see if they’ll help.

Often you give up before it has a chance to shift anything.

If you’ve been bouncing from thing to thing, throwing random things at the wall and hoping they stick, hoping something will move the needle an inch so you feel even a little bit better..

My course Holistically Healing MS is for you.

This is the place to find what works for you, to decrease your MS symptoms.

Comment HHMS below and I’ll send you details.
...

6 2
At one point I wanted:

•To be able to comfortably go on a walk again with my boyfriend (now husband)

•To not feel like an anxious mess every time I thought about the future (and potential disability)

• To not have waves of pain coursing throughout my body 

I don’t want those things anymore,
because I have them all.

No, I’m not totally cured of feeling anxious about the future, and I still have days (like today tbh) where I feel like a load of 💩

The difference is: 
I can manage all the symptoms
and anxiety
and feeling like 💩
better and differently than I did before, using all the tools I have accumulated over the 15(!!) years I’ve lived with MS as a patient and practitioner.

And these are the tools I share with my clients.

And the tools I share with you inside my Holistically Healing MS course.

This course is an 8 week journey into supporting your MS body so that it can begin to heal.

I know you have the same dreams as I did, 
I know because you’ve told me we’ve talked about them 🤩

I want you to have those things too.

Holistically Healing MS waitlist is closing tomorrow, comment HEALING and I’ll add you to the list.

At one point I wanted:

•To be able to comfortably go on a walk again with my boyfriend (now husband)

•To not feel like an anxious mess every time I thought about the future (and potential disability)

• To not have waves of pain coursing throughout my body

I don’t want those things anymore,
because I have them all.

No, I’m not totally cured of feeling anxious about the future, and I still have days (like today tbh) where I feel like a load of 💩

The difference is:
I can manage all the symptoms
and anxiety
and feeling like 💩
better and differently than I did before, using all the tools I have accumulated over the 15(!!) years I’ve lived with MS as a patient and practitioner.

And these are the tools I share with my clients.

And the tools I share with you inside my Holistically Healing MS course.

This course is an 8 week journey into supporting your MS body so that it can begin to heal.

I know you have the same dreams as I did,
I know because you’ve told me we’ve talked about them 🤩

I want you to have those things too.

Holistically Healing MS waitlist is closing tomorrow, comment HEALING and I’ll add you to the list.
...

14 6
I was talking to a client this week and she talked about how mad she was that she has a chronic illness.

How frustrated she was that she has to “manage this dumb disease” and “has to pay attention to everything she does”.

She also went onto say that she really wants to do all the helpful things, but just can’t get out of these stuck and frustrated feelings.

I get it- I definitely remember feeling similar feelings years ago. And I’m sure you’ve been here as well and might still be there at times.

I wanted to share the reframe that really helped her:

I told her, instead of focusing on “managing your disease”,
what if you thought about how you can set your future self up for feeling better/success/health.

Take the disease totally out of it.
What is 1 thing you can do to help your future self today?

She paused for a moment and I could almost see the light bulb go off in real time (one of my fav moments lol).

She said: that feels so much better and more doable.

If you’ve also been struggling with frustrated feelings about “managing your disease” these are the types of conversations we’ll have in Holistically Healing MS.

Yes I’ll be sharing about diet strategies, movement to help symptoms and stress management techniques, but we’ll also dive deeper into your feelings about it all.

Over the many years I’ve been working with clients, I’ve discovered that these thoughts, feelings and beliefs you have about yourself and your health are the biggest thing to stand in your way.

And when you have support to work through these feelings, you’re able to feel so much better faster.

Only those on the HHMS waitlist will get the presale price, and the opportunity to join the waitlist is dwindling (waitlist gets access next weekend!).

Comment WAITLIST below and I’ll add you to the list!!

I was talking to a client this week and she talked about how mad she was that she has a chronic illness.

How frustrated she was that she has to “manage this dumb disease” and “has to pay attention to everything she does”.

She also went onto say that she really wants to do all the helpful things, but just can’t get out of these stuck and frustrated feelings.

I get it- I definitely remember feeling similar feelings years ago. And I’m sure you’ve been here as well and might still be there at times.

I wanted to share the reframe that really helped her:

I told her, instead of focusing on “managing your disease”,
what if you thought about how you can set your future self up for feeling better/success/health.

Take the disease totally out of it.
What is 1 thing you can do to help your future self today?

She paused for a moment and I could almost see the light bulb go off in real time (one of my fav moments lol).

She said: that feels so much better and more doable.

If you’ve also been struggling with frustrated feelings about “managing your disease” these are the types of conversations we’ll have in Holistically Healing MS.

Yes I’ll be sharing about diet strategies, movement to help symptoms and stress management techniques, but we’ll also dive deeper into your feelings about it all.

Over the many years I’ve been working with clients, I’ve discovered that these thoughts, feelings and beliefs you have about yourself and your health are the biggest thing to stand in your way.

And when you have support to work through these feelings, you’re able to feel so much better faster.

Only those on the HHMS waitlist will get the presale price, and the opportunity to join the waitlist is dwindling (waitlist gets access next weekend!).

Comment WAITLIST below and I’ll add you to the list!!
...

11 2
My reality has changed a whole bunch over the years.

I started out with only a few symptoms. But I could get through the day.

Until all of a sudden I couldn’t.

All within a few years I went from “fine” to:
Having horrible symptoms, had 3 relapses and found myself with “aggressive MS”

This was not ok with me.

Eventually, I took my life into my own hands and rethought how I did most things.
I realized I had to make some changes, or else idk what else was gonna happen to me.

So I did.

I changed my diet.
I changed how I worked out.
I changed my job in the name of stress management.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

If you want this transformation for you too (I know it’s possible) I’m launching my signature course: Holistically Healing MS in a few weeks. 

This is the course you need to get started on this path for yourself.

Only the waitlist is gonna get the pre sale price… 
Comment WAITLIST below and I’ll add you to it!!

My reality has changed a whole bunch over the years.

I started out with only a few symptoms. But I could get through the day.

Until all of a sudden I couldn’t.

All within a few years I went from “fine” to:
Having horrible symptoms, had 3 relapses and found myself with “aggressive MS”

This was not ok with me.

Eventually, I took my life into my own hands and rethought how I did most things.
I realized I had to make some changes, or else idk what else was gonna happen to me.

So I did.

I changed my diet.
I changed how I worked out.
I changed my job in the name of stress management.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

If you want this transformation for you too (I know it’s possible) I’m launching my signature course: Holistically Healing MS in a few weeks.

This is the course you need to get started on this path for yourself.

Only the waitlist is gonna get the pre sale price…
Comment WAITLIST below and I’ll add you to it!!
...

49 9
This is the reality I lived, I want you to experience it too.

No, this is not a quick fix.
No, these results wont happen overnight.
No, this won’t cure you.

BUT-

Yes, you can have your life back.
Yes, you can feel better than you do right now.
Yes, your current reality doesn’t have to be a forever reality.

My success years ago was all thanks to the diet changes and the work I put in to know exactly how to eat to support MY body and MS at the same time. 

Yes it took a few months, but what it gave me back was my life- and that’s priceless. 

I’m spilling all the beans on what this process looks like and how to do it in my upcoming Masterclass:
5 Secrets To Creating Your Own MS Diet. 

Comment CLASS below and I’ll send you the link to sign up!!

This is the reality I lived, I want you to experience it too.

No, this is not a quick fix.
No, these results wont happen overnight.
No, this won’t cure you.

BUT-

Yes, you can have your life back.
Yes, you can feel better than you do right now.
Yes, your current reality doesn’t have to be a forever reality.

My success years ago was all thanks to the diet changes and the work I put in to know exactly how to eat to support MY body and MS at the same time.

Yes it took a few months, but what it gave me back was my life- and that’s priceless.

I’m spilling all the beans on what this process looks like and how to do it in my upcoming Masterclass:
5 Secrets To Creating Your Own MS Diet.

Comment CLASS below and I’ll send you the link to sign up!!
...

14 5
This is my vision for the masterclass I’m hosting next Monday.

I want this to be an interactive experience where you learn how to best take care of yourself and MS symptoms through the food you’re eating.

Instead of:
- feeling hesitation and confusion around what foods are best for MS
- not making changes because you’re afraid you’ll do it wrong 
- saying no again to going out to eat with friends 

Find the freedom and confidence you’ve been looking for.

Comment CLASS below and I’ll send you the link to sign up!!

This is my vision for the masterclass I’m hosting next Monday.

I want this to be an interactive experience where you learn how to best take care of yourself and MS symptoms through the food you’re eating.

Instead of:
- feeling hesitation and confusion around what foods are best for MS
- not making changes because you’re afraid you’ll do it wrong
- saying no again to going out to eat with friends

Find the freedom and confidence you’ve been looking for.

Comment CLASS below and I’ll send you the link to sign up!!
...

11 3
Do any of those hit home? 
 If yes… comment MASTERCLASS below.. I got you

Do any of those hit home?
If yes… comment MASTERCLASS below.. I got you
...

14 3

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