Embrace the Journey: Strength Makes a Difference

We have a great place to walk

I have a lesson with Trainer Jeanne every Tuesday morning. This is typical of how we begin:

Hey Jeanne! I’m already warmed up. We got our five miles in before coming. I like to get my walking in before it gets hot. Afternoon walks are laborious! What are we doing today?

We’re going to start with the curtsy squat.

Good. I must need it because it makes me fatigued in the hips.

Mountain climber is next. Where is that padded box? 

Thomas thinks this is a great exercise for me. When I showed this to him yesterday, he suggested that I go much slower and get full extension with my legs. He also said to up-lift, un glue? What’s that term you use? Anyway, it’s much harder than moving fast!

Trainer Jeanne 

I’ve had two other trainers before Jeanne, Lacey and Evan. They were both very good. Each one had a different style, but they both worked with me at my very beginner level. Strength and walking both improved. That was my goal.

Covid 19 paused indefinitely going to the gym. Not to be undone, I set up a modified gym at home with mats, bands and small weights. I exercised everyday using the lessons I had saved from Lacy and Evan. While I probably maintained strength, I didn't improve anything. Then I fell, fractured my hip and stopped gym work.  

By the time I was healed things, had started opening again. We stayed with Gold's Gym. They assigned Jeanne to be my trainer.  We were a good match. She’s closer to my age and has tremendous experience and knowledge from other forms of exercise like Thai-Chi, boxing, and yoga. I particularly like the way she will notice a problem I have with doing an exercise. Right there on the spot, she’ll either modify what I'm doing or devise a new exercise to address it.

One of many exercises for core and abs

My current goals are to walk farther and faster with more confidence. She gives me a full hour of exercises for all body parts including the core. The weight machines and free weights are all in the big, main room. 

I can see and feel improvement as I go up in weight. Jeanne's good at picking a good weight for me then showing me how to do anything new. She usually repeats an exercise several weeks running, sometimes changing the number of repetitions or amount of weight. Some combinations work on strength building and others work on endurance.

There’s another big, open room used for group training, that we go into occasionally. 

High Alert! She's got something hard for me in there. 

Balance is needed for the hurdles

Wonder what? Good, she’s ignoring the stairs. That's scary racing (ha-ha!) up and down those steep stairs. But, there are rails, and I hold on to them. 

Oh no, she’s going for the hurdles. It’s been a while since we’ve done that. Umm, scary but good. I’ll really concentrate and think positive. Done! I’m beginning to feel more confident and Jeanne said I’m smoother. I believe it’s transferring to walking. 

I’ve written in a blog post about how aging weakens muscles. MS surreptitiously robs muscles of strength so I have double jeopardy working. I’ve also noticed that injuries heal, but the healing takes time and I wonder if we really get back to where we started before the setback. That being said, I understand I must keep walking and strength training. Starting over is daunting as well as mentally and physically challenging.

The multi-movement (Robot) machine is a favorite 

My best bet is to continue what’s working for me: yoga for meditation and stretching; gym and strength training for walking without fatigue or pain; therapies to support everything.  I’m beginning to feel my stride. That’s  my “happy place”.

Blog posts that speak about strength building with trainers:  

https://judymanagesms.blogspot.com/2018/12/embrace-your-destiny-hard-work-pays-off.html  

https://judymanagesms.blogspot.com/2022/05/embrace-journey-youve-got-to-want-it.html

Embrace Your Destiny: Embrace Aging

In Hawaii late 1990's

Wouldn’t it be nice to age without aging? Maturity and wisdom that come with age are great. It’s the physical body breaking down that is troubling. With each new decade some new issue shows up. The bones and feet continue to break down. Throw in a fall and break something or have a bad illness and everything goes sideways.

Embrace Your Destiny: Consider What's Possible

 

Walking up driveway

I am obsessed with walking. It’s true. Actually, I have been obsessed for a long time. What I want is comfortable, effortless walking. I remember what it felt like and occasionally, I feel close to that. I started noticing my walking way back before I knew I had MS. By the time I was diagnosed, I had to think about walking constantly.

For twenty years I have been identifying problems. These are the big ones:

 

1. Walking straight without listing to the left.  

2. Picking up my right toe. Flexing the right ankle  

3. Relaxing my shoulders to swing my arms naturally  

4. Looking right and left while walking  

5. Controlling the hyperextended knee 

6. Controlling the toe from kicking out 

PT session with Thomas

Thomas Minton, my Physical Therapist has helped me work on these specific issues. He has been helping me for seven years. Finally, I feel more natural walking most of the time. My knee flexes in coordination with my ankle and foot. I can look right and left and talk at the same time.

 

So, my goals have shifted to focus on improving strength, speed and distance. I use my I-phone heart app to keep track of my progress. Everyday is different. Improvement is slow.

Our driveway is scary. It’s gravel and steep. Going down and up is challenging. I have fallen walking down. Sometimes the gravel slips and slides underfoot. It's easy to get overbalanced when I am not paying attention. I prefer to wait for Donnie to hold onto going down, but occasionally I’ll be audacious and start going down alone. But, I concentrate on each step. “Thomas said to go slow and take small steps. Do the zigzag. This feels okay so far but the slippery area is approaching. Slow down more; take smaller steps. Good, I hear Donnie coming. I’ll just wait here.”

A cool morning walk

Today the temperature was perfect for a morning walk. There was a slight breeze and not hot yet. When I get hot, the nerves literally melt. My leg muscles feel exhausted, heavy and limp.

I wanted to see how I would feel taking a longer morning walk. We had already done hot yoga and then I did a strength workout. When we started I was dubious about meeting my goal. I thought, “Legs, I’m sorry about the workout. Did we do too much? You are already complaining. Well, let's see what you can do.”

The more we walked the better legs seemed to feel. We walked a little beyond where we sometimes turn around. Donnie looked at his watch and said, “We should turn around. Look at the time.” 

I did and said, “Let’s go a little bit farther. I’d like to see if I can make two miles.” After we turned around, I talked to legs again. “I’m impressed. You feel okay right now. Maple Swamp hill will be challenging. It's okay if you start complaining. I expect that so I'll help by concentrating." 

Satisfied rest and water on front porch

That’s when I double down talking to legs. “You’re doing great! I have only noticed a few toe taps, right leg. Left leg, stay strong. This hill is always tough but it’s all downhill after we reach the crest in just a few more strides. We’ll stop for water when we get to the top. It's not much farther and then the big push up the driveway. Don't make Donnie get the car for a rescue. We can do this!”

My distance is slowly increasing. Confidence in my stride is coming back. I know I can walk by myself, where it’s safe. How far I can go at one time is evolving. What I like is feeling empowered and strong each time I beat my distance goal. I like knowing I can handle myself when traveling. And, I like feeling the strength training kicking in. I’ll keep checking my distance average on the I-phone app. I won’t set a limit on what’s possible. Who knows what the next milestone will be? I’m open to all possibilities.

Embrace Your Destiny: What Is Your Goal?

I needed some inspiration to help me zero in on this blog post. My reader  blog comments did the trick. Inspiration washed over me! Thank you for taking time to comment.

What I strive for everyday is to feel good, happy and motivated. Sometimes before breakfast and hot yoga, I notice aches, pains and worries. Getting locked into my daily routine of yoga, weight work, piano practice, and healthy eating fixes all my issues. 

During this pandemic, it’s more important than ever to remain positive.  A special edition on Multiple Sclerosis of Brain and Life Magazine came in the mail recently. It was packed full of information about the disease that validated everything I do. Furthermore, since I have the Primary Progressive type of MS, I should be slowly deteriorating. My husband Donnie agrees with me that I’m not. i feel better, walk better, have more energy and can do more than when I started this journey twenty years ago.

Embrace Your Destiny: Manage Yourself

In the Arizona desert, October 2019

January  marks twenty years I have been managing Multiple Sclerosis. The first fourteen years I was adjusting to this new me. I learned what to expect from the disease physically, mentally, emotionally and physiologically. It’s a very complex disease. I have the Primary Progressive type of MS.

My biggest issues have always been physical with spasticity, balance and irregular gait being most troublesome. The mental issues are not as obvious. Reflecting back, I had them. I had plenty of physiological issues too. All the symptoms are insidious in that they creep up from nowhere. For example, in the past three years, I noticed that my core has been slowly going to mush.

Toastmasters is part of my cognitive therapy. I’ve competed in the International Speech Contest several times. After much deliberation I decided to compete again. I have something to say about living with and managing a chronic illness. I can use this platform to communicate that you can manage MS and enjoy doing it. In the past five years, slowly but surely, I am improving. First I had to get out of my comfort zone. I tried new therapies and I continued to work hard. 

Embrace Your Destiny: Track Your Progress

The aging process plus the diagnosis of Primary Progressive MS is a recipe for change in the wrong direction. According to data I have read, I should be on a slow, steady decline. I refuse to accept that fate. The only way I know to determine if I’m going forward or backward on this journey is to document specific tasks and track them from year to year. Since I do feel and walk better than I did twenty years ago, I think I am going forward. 

Looking back over this past year, I can say these things about my body and how it works better than last year at this time:

• My posture is better especially when I am tired.
• I can get up off the floor with more control and agility.
• I do many yoga postures better.
• I get dressed quicker because I step into my pants with greater ease.
• My walking is more fluid with less limp when I get fatigued.
• Getting in and out of the car is easier and doesn't hurt as much.
• Standing in the kitchen while cooking doesn't make my legs feel fatigued.

Plank for 1 minute

You may wonder, what has contributed to these changes. Good question. From all I have read about MS and other neurological diseases, the mind and body work most effectively when the process is coordinated, consistent, intentional, focused on the right things and done mindfully. Two years ago I noticed that my yoga practice was improving but the strength I needed to get into and hold postures was lacking. That’s when I decided to go back to the gym and get a trainer. I believe the work with my new trainer, Evan Camby has taken my walking and overall strength to a better place. Together, the yoga and strength training have facilitated the specific improvements I listed.

My husband, Donnie says he has noticed a big improvement in my mental acuity. He say I process information faster, which is reflected in smoother, more fluid speech. Mental sharpness has been of concern to me from the beginning. This year I have noticed focus and concentration are improved. I was President of Four Seasons Toastmasters which gave me weekly practice in leading, initiating change, making impromptu speeches, coordinating and giving programs.  I believe I work as hard on this part of my journey as the physical and I believe I see results. Here are the activities I do regularly to work on my mental sharpness:

• Piano lessons and practice everyday.
• Puzzles work everyday; word puzzles, picture puzzles, math puzzles.
• Study and practice French everyday using the Duolingo free app on my phone.
• Attend Toastmasters every week to practice speaking and leadership.
• Plan and execute parties and other events.
• Memoir writing weekly.
• Accept speaking engagements. 

Physiologically, I feel great 90% of the time. Headaches are not a problem now. I may have one once a month and Ibuprofen takes care of it. My energy level is nice so that I can do most everything I plan everyday. I give credit to diet and exercise for these improvements It seems like the more I do, the more I feel like doing.

It’s been a while since I talked about diet. I still drink a 16 ounce juice once a day, courtesy of my juice lady Katie Flannagan and Green Heart Juice. I also make bone broth and consume a half cup of that everyday. The rest of my diet includes lots of vegetables, salads, canned tuna and salmon, beans of all kinds fixed all different ways, smoothie for breakfast, and nuts. I’m monitoring the effect of gluten, cheese and sugar on joint inflammation. Recently I have observed that certain postures in yoga are not fully available the morning after eating gluten and cheese. I am following principles from The Wahl Diet and others that incorporate whole foods and plant based foods.

I look at this journey with MS as a challenge to maintain an  an active lifestyle. This work is my job. I still have lots of things to improve. My goal is to stay healthy, mentally sharp, involved with life and learning and to keep improving. Yes, it takes time, planning and some dedication. That is okay with me. I’ll do whatever it takes as long as I see changes going in a positive direction instead of backward.

Embrace Your Destiny: Working on Core Strength

I'm slapping the ropes from side to side

My trainer, Lacey has a long list of core strength exercises. I think she gives me a new one every time I have a coaching session. She likes to pair core strength exercises with leg strengthening. 

The work plan always starts with a warm up series of 3 or 4 exercises. I repeat the series 2 or 3 times. Then we shift to another group of exercises for some part of the body such as shoulders, core, front legs or back legs. Sometimes we stay in the same area and use a mat and other tools. We usually end in the free weight area or in the machine area to work the same muscle group.