Ok, all you non-extreme active MSers!

[Sparky10]

You're out there! Don't be shy! Tell us what you do!

I used to ride my nothing-fancy horse till I moved to Iowa and had to get rid of her (nowhere to keep her).

Using my exercise ball as a computer chair uses some muscles here and there and keeps my heart rate up a little.

Push-mowing and using a weedeater are constructive and very tiring! But I do them while I can.

In the spring I hike the woods for maybe an hour at a time. Early spring I'm hunting for deer antler sheds; later it's Morel mushrooms I hunt.

C'mon people! You don't have to be a marathon runner or million-mile bicyclist to keep active!

What do YOU do?

[ActiveMSers]

I waffle between ultra marathons, multi-day adventure races, and month-long mountaineering expeditions (20K-foot summits and above). But when I'm not daydreaming, I usually get my ass to the gym, go on short mile-long hikes, and try to carry loads of laundry under one arm while futilely using my cane in the other.

[Sparky10]

It's it odd how you can do all that, yet still must use a cane? MS is so weird.

[teena marie]

Great thread. I, like Dave, have a pretty a active mind about what I'd like to do. So,in reality, I try to look at all movement as a way of making different parts of my body do as much as possible. So everything from making breakfast to getting into bed (and all in between) is an opportunity to get some signals to fire. I have a backyard pool where I can swim on the spot by tying a harness (a swimill) around my waist that allows me to swim on the spot, extra kicking hanging on to the ladder, trying to do some stairs, QiGong, floor exercises,stretching,and recently some pilates that I am just learning. I work and it can take up to an hour to walk from my office to my car at the end of the day. I try to park so that I have a few more steps to walk. One of my jobs, it takes me 15 minutes to get to the bathroom so I consider that a pretty good workout! Sometimes,I get to the gym for the spin bike-the wonderful trainer helps me on and off the bike so that I can ride 5-10 minutes.
All in all, I feel in pretty good shape. I just have altered walking and use forearm crutches to walk. My plan is to no longer need them.

[Sparky10]

Hi teena marie! Nice to hear from someone who doesn't try the extreme end of being active. Simply making a point of any activity is, IMO, being active when MS is concerned! There are many things you can do at home, or even just not always parking in the closest spot.

One thing I've started doing is exercising my ankle/foot muscles several times a day. I have to walk a few steps down to feed the cats. When I get back to the top step I raise and lower my self on the balls of my feet, with the heels hanging over the edge. I slowly shift the effort to the weak foot.

To do away with foot-drop would be so nice!