A Hobby Lobby

Posted on May 25, 2022 by MSAA

By Doug Ankerman

Work may define us but it is our hobbies that makes us unique.

Hobbies give you zest. Give you fire. They put a sparkle in your eye.

A hobby is what makes you – YOU.

So don’t let anything, like the dreaded ick we call multiple sclerosis, take your hobbies away from you.

MS is no reason to give up an activity you love. Accommodations can be made so you may continue doing what you want to do.

Like to paint but can’t hold a brush? Don’t let that stop you. There are dozens of computer programs that allow you to create (and no messy clean-up!).

Like to dance but can’t stand? Take a chair onto the dance floor, plop down & shake your bootie, dammit. Believe me, you’ll have more dance partners than you can handle as others will gravitate to your spunk.

Like to garden? Get down & get dirty. I can’t walk in grass & mulch either, so I crawl through the flowerbeds slow as an earthworm. A garden gnome with filthy knees.

My point is, you can do whatever you want…by planning. Come to terms with your MS by saying “We’re gonna do it within reason, and this is how.” Then do it.

Here are a few of my favorite daily activities…

Continue reading →

Rock Climbing and MS

Posted on March 16, 2020 by MSAA

By Amanda Bastien, PT, DPT

Exercise is medicine. As a physical therapist, I believe that, and I teach my patients the benefits and opportunities that exercise can grant them daily. As a person with MS, I am grateful that I am able to exercise unencumbered by symptoms at this time. I know that someday, that might change, but for now, I’ll enjoy every minute of it.

I started rock climbing the year I was diagnosed with MS, which was also the hardest year of my life in school. Climbing was Continue reading →

Summer Jumble

Posted on July 26, 2019 by MSAA

By Doug Ankerman

You made it! You are halfway through summer without a hitch. Okay well, beside searing your thighs on the hot lawn chair, you made it.

Here are a few pointers to get your through the rest of the season…

Hit The Floor

You don’t need a gym membership to exercise. Just get down on the floor (carpeted, by the way). Roll around. Lift your legs. Flail your arms. Sit up. Twist side to side. Push yourself up, over and get back down again. How you move doesn’t matter—just move! You’ll give yourself the perfect Continue reading →

How I Find Laughter in the Face of MS

Posted on July 11, 2018 by MSAA

By Alene Brennan

Incurable. Degenerative. Chronic. The weight of the words is heavy. The reality of living with them is even heavier. We can easily sink into the quicksand of worries and struggles or… we can find acceptance in this beast of a disease and sprinkle in a heavy dose of laughter.

Laughter is Medicine

We hear it often that laughter is the best medicine, but what actually happens when we laugh? And is laughter strong enough to take on MS? Continue reading →

What’s the Alternative?

Posted on May 18, 2018 by MSAA

By Doug Ankerman

As a twenty-two year member of the MS Club, I have tried more than my share of alternative approaches to treat multiple sclerosis. From diets to massage to supplements like turmeric and aloe vera gel. I’ve questioned my dentist about Mercury fillings. Researched into CCSVI. With secondary-progressive MS, I found myself grasping at anything and everything to slow the gradual downward slide.

Here are a few others I’ve dabbled with… Continue reading →

Exercise Your Face Off

Posted on July 19, 2017 by MSAA

By Doug Ankerman

I’m a huge advocate of exercise and stretching in the battle with multiple sclerosis.

Though I understand many of us (me included) have trouble with standing, walking and some basic movements of working out, there is one neglected area of our body we CAN exercise…our face!

Did you know you have 43 muscles in your face just waiting to be used?

Instead, we let gravity take over by pulling our faces downward. Sagging till we look less like ourselves – and more like Droopy Dog.

Forget all those age-reducing potions and the creamy-crap you smear on each day. Start looking younger from the inside out by toning up the muscles of your grill.

Exercising your face is goofy-fun and so easy to do even those of us with MS can do it!

I’ve put on my 80’s fitness gear to show you how…..

Make your face reeeeaaal small. Squeeze your eyes shut. Purse you lips like sucking on a lemon.

Then make your face big. Big as ever. Eyes wide. Mouth open (Careful of flies). And do it over and over again several times.

Scrunch your face to the right.

And take it to the left.

Do it again and again.

Wiggle your eyebrows best you can.

Puff out your cheeks.

Crinkle your sniffer.

Stick out your tongue.

Smile big.

Smile bigger.

Work your lips like you are making out with your favorite movie star. (Mine is Clint Eastwood so I’ll rethink that one!)

You can’t go wrong because ANY exaggerated movement is great for the face. And you’ll feel instant results. Your face will feel tighter, firmer and toner (Wait, that’s not a word).

You can exercise your face in just a couple of minutes. And you can do it anywhere except public places as others may think you have a tic.

Maybe as an MSer, we can’t walk so well, but we can look fabulous!

Get started now. You’ll thank me later.

*Doug pokes fun at MS and other nonsense on his humor website at myoddsock.com. He also disappoints his family on Twitter @myoddsock.

Pushing the Limit When You Have Multiple Sclerosis

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Samantha Schech

Physical exercise for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been a hot topic over the last few years. While exercise is always encouraged to promote a healthy lifestyle and to increase physical function, many are still unaware of the types of exercise that can benefit those with MS.

At the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) conference last month, I attended a number of wonderful programs regarding exercise and MS, affirming the importance of an exercise routine. Many discussions were had regarding the level of physical activity and ways to work and improve the body’s ability.

In a recent article published by the Rocky Mountain MS Center, Dr. Timothy Vollmer discusses the importance of pushing oneself to the point of fatigue once a week during exercise. Similar to how a person might train for a marathon or endurance sport, Dr. Vollmer explains that when exercising using a normal routine, in order to see improvement one needs to push the limit of exertion once a week. By pushing the body’s limit, the body adapts and grows, making the activity less strenuous over time.

In many meetings at CMSC, researchers also discussed the idea of working the body to physical exertion. This is a major change in the minds of those in the MS community. Although the importance of exercise is stressed, research has not yet described the level of exercise that may be effective. I look forward to seeing how the paradigm shifts from “taking it easy” to “pushing beyond your limit” and what the research has to offer the MS community.

It is always recommended to start and continually monitor your fitness routine with a professional such as a physical therapist (PT). The PT can help determine your body’s capabilities and knows what your body’s limits are. A safe and effective fitness routine may help to improve physical function and promote a better quality of life.

Staying Active with MS

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Ashley

Usually when we hear “stay active” people are referring to some sort of exercise. But, that’s not what I’m implying when I say it, I like to keep my mind active.

And I don’t mean keep your mind active by stressing about what’s going on in your life or how your MS is affecting you that particular day. I mean, test your brain. Play some games online that really make you think; get a crossword puzzle book; or you can play games on Facebook, like I do!

However, if it’s one of those days where you just don’t even want to think too hard, because your head just can’t handle it, get lost in a book! That’s my favorite thing to do! I don’t sit there and worry about what’s going on in my life when I get lost in reading a book that I can really get into.

I can’t even describe how time goes by when I’m doing these things and how I don’t worry about how I’m doing with my MS, or anything else going on in my life. My brain is being active, but not to the point where it’s stressful, it’s relaxing. Something I really enjoy that we do at MSWorld.org is every Friday Night at 8pm ET, we play “Trivia.” One of the chat hosts puts together an hours worth of trivia, and the whole chat room plays. It’s nothing that is a “competition” or makes you think too hard, it’s really fun and gets you thinking!

Of course, it’s always good to stay physically active with MS… that’s a given, but I like to have a workout session with my brain more often than physical workouts! Needless to say, the only physical workout I can endure with out “over doing” or hurting myself is swimming. And I’m not just talking about hurting myself from doing too much, but I have made a fool of myself at the gym because I’m a walking accident!

So since it’s Summer time, take this time to enjoy and get your brain working, but in a fun way!

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