Here I Go Again

Posted on November 7, 2025 by MSAA

By Samuel Fitch

Ten years! After about ten years away from the gym, I decided to walk back in the door. In that time, I’ve been living with multiple sclerosis (MS) and staying active, but not in the way most people think. My life is full: busy professionally, engaged in the family business, raising four kids, and supporting a wonderful wife. That kind of activity keeps me moving, but at times it carries its own stress.

About a month ago, I felt a strong pull to return to structured exercise, first to safeguard my cardiovascular health and then to gradually reintroduce weight training. Not for huge muscular gain, but to strengthen and preserve what I already have. My mother’s passing at age 65 from a ruptured brain aneurysm after decades of smoking played a major role in that decision. Seeing mortality up close made me realize I want to be here long enough to watch my grandchildren grow, to enjoy years with family and meaningful work.

So each day I’ve headed to the treadmill. Thirty minutes, heart rate up near 150 beats per minute. The result has been therapeutic both mentally and physically. There’s pain in inertia but power in motion.

For my fellow men and women living with MS, I know our journeys differ. Some face greater physical challenges, while others may have more flexibility or energy to work with. My belief is that doing something, even small steps with the ability you have, can still produce a meaningful impact on well-being. Research supports this truth. Studies show that aerobic and resistance exercise improve mobility, reduce fatigue, and enhance quality of life in people living with MS (National Institutes of Health). Even more encouraging, exercise in MS is considered safe and does not worsen disease activity when properly managed (Cleveland Clinic).

If I had known how good I would feel simply by walking on the treadmill three times a week and steadily elevating my heart rate, I might have started sooner. But hindsight is a teacher, and the best time to begin is right now.

So that’s the invitation: whether you’re managing MS or simply navigating the busy demands of life, choose to move. Protect your heart, support your brain, and honor those you’ve loved and lost by caring for the life you still have before you.

Stay strong, inside and out.

Ashley’s Journey: Team MSAA and Ironman World Championship

Posted on November 6, 2025 by MSAA

In 2017, Ashley Norton received a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and set a remarkable goal: to compete in the Ironman World Championship – all 140.4 miles of it.

This dream of swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles, and running 26.2 miles naturally required her to manage significant challenges. As a single mother living with MS, she was navigating this new diagnosis and motherhood while also having undergone six heart surgeries and requiring two pacemakers due to lifelong heart complications.

Her journey was defined by resilience, persistence, and unwavering determination. This past October, Ashley achieved her goal by crossing the finish line at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. MSAA had the opportunity to speak with Ashley about her diagnosis, her journey to Ironman, and her experiences being on Team MSAA.

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Making the Most of Summer to Improve Your Overall Health

Posted on July 28, 2025 by MSAA

By Dr. Eva Jackson

Summer is often marked by joy, laughter, family traditions, and road trips. Taking a moment to sit on your porch and listening to birdsong can provide an effective respite from the stresses and demands of a busy day. A simple walk around the outside of your home to get a daily dose of nature can provide someone living with multiple sclerosis a simple dose of much needed Vitamin D and improve overall health. These activities are also great for meditating and mindfulness exercises.

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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…

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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.

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