Sports freak with ms

[foxypuma]

Hi everyone
I used to be a sports freak and I still am but my body doesn't allow that. I swim a lot and love to row (conditioning) but apart from that there's not much I can do alone. Getting to the pool isn't easy and the small gym with very limited equipment has very limited parking space which makes it hard for me to make it from the car to the gym, and still have energy left to work out.
At home I stretch and do exercises on my yoga mat, with or without weights but I'm desperate for more! No pain no gain really was my mantra (and still is )
What other things can I do here at home (arms on chair etc) and WHAT CAN I DO TO GET MY USED TO BE SLIGHTLY VISIBLE ABS BACK? Apart from cardio in the gym (1x/week is not enough), what cardio can I do at home? I live in a small flat.
No wheel chair needed yet but very limited in walking or standing up for a long time.
I no longer have a job so my days are very long and boring, working out is the only thing that helps when I'm depressed.
I'd be most grateful for any tips!
Thx, foxy

[teena marie]

Hi Foxy,

You sound like you're keeping active. I'm a swimmer and it really helps keep me fit. Resistance bands are good for all sorts of things. It's great you can get on your mat. Bridging, plank, modified push-ups, hamstring curls, etc are all fantastic. Lunges and squats when upright. Sit to stand as many times as possible could become aerobic for a short time. Timed up and go-sit in chair, stand up, cross the room, return to sit-start with one or two and increase. Is there any way you could have a small piece of equipment-folding bike or treadmill at home?

I try to look at everything I do as exercise and celebrate my success.

Would hiking poles give you a little support with walking longer distances?

These are just a few suggestions. Join us on the MS'ers in training or walking thread in this forum. We're all trying different strategies to keep active in whatever way possible.

Take very good care, keep up the great things you're doing and good luck.

Teena Marie

[AMFADVENTURES]

Hey Foxy,
Teena Marie has an excellent handle on dealing with both diet and exercise for MS. She certainly helped me walk longer by convincing me to use two hiking poles as opposed to just one or only a cane.

The only thing I might add to what she's already said would be to get some anaerobic exercise (high intensity intervals for example) twice a week if you can. There are many studies, only one that I've seen on PWMS however, that show an increase in neural stem cell activity in the brain as a result of this kind of exercise. Many MSers, myself included, who can't run or even walk very well are able to use a bike (maybe on a trainer) or trike to accomplish it.

Join us on one of the threads, we talk a lot about this kind of stuff.

[foxypuma]

Thread

Hey, what do you mean by 'join us in one of the threads', what's a thread and how do I do that?
Foxy

[teena marie]

Hi Foxy,

The thread is MSer's in training or Walking. When we say "join", it means post what you're doing. You'll see we're trading tips, just writing about it can be motivating to keep going, goals, etc.

I'm not sure what your friend request means!