Up until I came down with MS I was a VERY active person and have been all my life. My favorite things were swimming, dancing, walking and Jazzercise Aerobics, and I didn’t really think of them as exercise. They were just plain FUN J

A couple of years before my diagnosis, I was starting to slow down and couldn’t keep up my usual pace with this or anything else. In time I gave them up, and YES I missed them. With MS I thought who can blame me!! I had little energy, balance problems, and spasms of the legs and arms.

Years go by and I started to hear from EVERY where to exercise, and that now it was very good for people with MS to do. I was older now and had other health problems, including 3 knee operations and back problems. SO HOW was I supposed to do this??

We bought a recumbent bike and I soon found out THAT bothered my poor weak knee. Now what? Well my husband uses the bike. So I still had to find something that I could do at home. With my husband's hours, the traffic, the cost, and me low on energy, it HAD to be something I could do at home.

Then it came to me, Heavily Modified Jazzercise Aerobics. I would devise my own plan set to the appropriate music. Well, it was a process to find what worked for me, but I was determined.

I am finally at 20 minutes a day 4 to 5 times a week. It’s not easy, but I look forward to it, and best of all I don’t look for a reason NOT to do it.  I ENJOY it and that is the key to staying with it.

Since most of us sit A LOT more than we used to, we need to exercise, it is good for our health and bodies. No matter what condition you are now in, find something that will work for YOU!!

I also have been through physical therapy many times, and I recommend it highly. Just make sure the therapist working with you KNOWS something about MS!! Plus he/she can help you with a home plan to do.

So keep on moving everyone J

By Holly

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