This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

Hi Sharon,

I hate excuses, but I've had a bout of flu this week that included two days in hospital, so I've done even less than usual.

Things are getting better slowly so I will get back to it - honest

All the best,
Chris P

Hi all,


I made my kids walk with me around the town it is over a mile that is what I do on the treadmill. It has been so nice it was a little cooled for me but the kids were fine. It was a very nice walk! I still walk 3 times a week for 20 min. and do some weights and sit ups.

Hope everyone is finding time to do just a little it will help. I think by the end of the day I don't want to walk I'm tired but I make my self and I feel better. My doctor told me it would help with the fatigue and I believe him know I was not sure at first but, I have alittle easier time during the day not wanting to take a nap.

I can't take naps I do daycare so no naps for me I could some days the little people can wear me out when I 'm in a relapse which have been for a couple of months. Hopefully it will go away soon.

Hope everyone has a great day! Dawn

Hi Guys........I do my exercises about 3 times a week. I aim for about 15 min. of stretching in the mornings before I shower and go to work. Gets the muscles warmed up!!

Still doing bridges and crunches....about 25 of each.......followed by 25 leg raises with 5lb. weights.

Then I proceed to arm curls with a 5lb. weight. I do 20 at one angle, then turn my arm and do 20 to 25 at the other angle.

Once in awhile I miss a day but not too often. I haven't been spending much time on my treadmill. I used to finish my workout with 10min. on the treadmill.

I guess I am just looking forward to walking outside this spring. Last year at this time I was walking like a duck.

Cris....Hope you are feeling better. Nothing like a bad infection to kick up MS problems huh. I had a terrible cold in Oct. that led to a Month and a half relapse.

I only have about a half hour in the mornings to check in on two Support Groups.......So guys I read every day......but am limited with time........so sorry I don't get back to everyone in a timely fashion.

Take care all....Spring is in the air here in PA today....60% today. My tulips are coming up and the birds are singing.......Kim

Kim you definitely get the cheerleading award here I'm so impressed.

I'm wondering what's happened to all of our other exercise buddies tho--

Brenda, where have you been and what are you up to?

Chris, are you feeling better? Have you felt like doing any exercise?

Bonnie, you seemed to have disappeared. Your tips were great!

Dawn, I congratulate you for hanging in there and walking even with the relapse going on and I certainly hope you're doing better. (Been there and doing that myself at this point )

Now, I have a question for everyone on the exercise thread:

What exercise(s) seem to help you the most with balance?

They have me doing these 1 leg stands (stand on one leg and bend the other back at the knee) for 30 seconds at a time trying to work up to 1 minute and then trying to do it with my eyes shut

I haven't fell over yet, but I certainly can't do it for a minute either.

Take care all!

Sharon

Sharon that one is good for balance. Try standing on a pillow and doing it. Also try standing on a pillow, and bending out your knees as you slowly squat down, sort of like a ballerina.

Actually I like to do these off the pillow, but when balance comes into play...I drag out my exercise pillow. Just a regular bed pillow. Like the foam they use at PT.

Have someone throw you a ball. Back and forth. It is good if they throw so you have to adjust your stance to catch the ball.

Happy Exercising.........Kim

Kim, I just visited the MS sucks site and am still laughing and you want me to pretend I'm a ballerina

I've never tried these balance maneuvers on a pillow so will give it a shot.
And seriously, thanks for the tips.

To all who are still exercising, where are you?

I'm proud to say I not only did more bridges, but I actually was able to increase my speed (teeny bit) on the treadmill too!

Maybe this relapse is going away!

Take care all

Sharon

Hi Everyone,

Hope everyone is still hanging in their I know it is hard somedays but have to keep going!

I'm so glad it is warming up I love to walk or ride bikes with the kids.

Hope everyone has a good week!
Dawn

Hi Dawn, Sharon, Kim and everyone,

It's been a little quiet around here recently, but that's not been a bad thing for me. The flu has dragged on, but hopefully I am seeing the tail end of it all now. My GP decided I needed to have some steroid treatment to pull me out of it, but I can't say I've noticed any favorable improvement from it. It will be the coming out of it (last day tomorrow) that will make or break me - my only other experience of steroids finished me off for several weeks when I stopped taking them.

All the best to you all, and keep up the good work
Chris P

Chris and Dawn so glad you're still with us here.

I'm so sorry Chris that you still have the flu going and now you're doing the steroids.

Are they the oral steroids? I just finished my first round of those last Tuesday and I do think I've had at least 3 better days since then.

My experience of the side effects was to become bloated and not be able to sleep.

Then I had severe hot flashes, I mean severe. I don't know if that's typical or not since I "do" hot flashes without the steroids at this age

Dawn, glad to see you're still biking and walking around...

Kim, I know you're up at the crack of dawn exercising. Keep going girl!

Sharon

Chris....I hope you are feeling better today. I think what I hate the most about steroids is the wonderful metalic taste you get in your mouth...

Makes everything taste the same doesn't it. Take care of yourself....we are all cheering for you to get better.

I did 50 bridges and 50 crunches today !! Yea I usually only do 25 of each.....

Lets all move everthing we can...before we loose it!.............Kim

Chris, Sorry to hear you have the flu hope you are feeling better soon!

Kim, Go girl go!

Dawn

Chris and Dawn I sure hope by now both of you are feeling better.

Brenda, where are you?

Kim...I know you're doing 50 bridges and crunches a day

I have some maybe relevant "exercise" news to spur us all on. The March 8 issue of Newsweek featured info on the new science of strokes.

A piece on rehabilitation in that issue discussed "How the Brain Heals".
The way I read it, the more we exercise the more likely we are to recruit unused brain cells to do the tasks of the damaged cells.

Quoting from that article: "...Experts say if the stroke-damaged area of the brain is not destroyed--if the patient retains at least 10 percent of the relevant nerve cells connecting the brain to the spinal cord--it may be able to regain its function, mainly by recruiting nearby neurons for tasks they never did before.......a few new neurons from far-fling parts of the brain may migrate to the area of the stroke."

"The most important part of rehabilitation is to practice."

So, if it applies to people with MS too, and I have no idea if it does or doesn't, but it seems like it should, we need to keep exercising, for all the reasons we knew, and now there's another one

For me in addition to more bridges, etc., I have to get on that treadmill and keep practicing walking more than ever I guess.

Hope everyone is well and taking care of themselves.

Sharon

what is a bridge? you have peaked my curiosity..

Kim is really the expert on this so I hope she answers.

You start by laying flat on the floor. Then put your feet on top of one of those exercise balls and raise your trunk in a straight line off the floor. Lower and repeat.

Your shoulders stay on the floor. You end up in sort of a triangle position with the ball (feet up on center of ball, head and shoulders still on floor).

It's supposed to be very good for strengthening back muscles.

Harder to describe than I thought it would be...

Sharon

cool. now I have a reason to blow up the exercise ball I bought...