The one tip I would like to impart to the world would be to EXERCISE. Exercise to your potential, use what God gave you, use it or lose it! It is never too late to start. It should be obvious that the earlier you start the greater the benefit, but, always remember it is never too late.
Exercise is vitally important for everybody, that I cannot believe more people don’t take it seriously. This article is not about fitness in the sense of being ‘slim, trim and brim full of energy’ but about a level of fitness that keeps you mobile and independent. I greatly admire people with disabilities who do amazing things. Our Paralympians and Special Olympians are prime examples of people I admire and who operate to a different level but still perform to their potential.
Usain Bolt runs 100 metres in under 10 seconds. I walked 10 metres in under 30 seconds. We are both proud of our times. Rob Heffernan won the 50km walk in 3:37:56. I couldn’t even stay standing for that length of time but last week I walked 350m in under 20 minutes and guess what, I was as proud as Rob Heffernan. As we know MS affects everyone differently so don’t be discouraged by people on Facebook and Twitter telling us how marvellous they are.
What I really want to say is 'get a plan tailored to your physical condition'. Whether you need upper body strength to roll you own wheelchair or need to build stamina just to stay up a bit longer, ask for help in designing the program best suited to you. Don’t pay attention to the ‘Muscle Marys’ or 'Speedy Gonzalez' in the gym. Exercise for you. Exercise to improve your quality of life and independence. But above all EXERCISE.
Remember that it takes 3 weeks to get into a good habit but only takes 3 day to get out of it. It's never too late to start!
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Looking forward to your comments... Declan
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