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LIFE
Cheryl A. Justice: Don't make excuses for not living healthy life
How often do we as individuals complain about minor ailments or problems? We say that our knees, shoulders or some other body part hurts. We may often think we have some legitimate excuse as to why we cannot exercise. And we may even be creative with excuses as to why we cannot eat in a healthy manner or take better care of our health. A friend of mine often says, "Why bother with exercise? Aren't we are going to die no matter what we do?" While this may be true, life is a series of decisions, and taking care of our health to affect our quality of life is an important one.
But what if you really have a serious medical condition or disease? Can physical activity help and what type of activity is best?
Exercise can help in a lot of different ways with a several medical conditions. We know that exercise helps control adult onset diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis and even depression. But it also helps with some more serious medical conditions like Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
March 10-15 is West Virginia MS awareness week. The disease course of MS is unpredictable but, the good news is physical activity does make life more functional for those diagnosed with this disease. Some of the symptoms of this disease can include weakness, fatigue, imbalance, spasticity and cognitive issues like multi-tasking, memory and recall.
If diagnosed with MS, there are several forms of exercise that can help. According to Huntington's YMCA personal trainer and certified Vinyasa Yoga instructor, Diana Whitwer, yoga is excellent for reducing fatigue and controlling muscle spasms. She said yoga is learning to relax and be present in the moment, as well as learning to let all the stress of the disease and other problems of life fade away for the moment.
Yoga also enhances flexibility and helps prevent loss of range of motion.
Strength and cardiovascular training also are important parts of an exercise routine. Strength training helps to keep the muscles strong and is important to prevent joint instability, weakness and lack of coordination.
Regular aerobic workouts that are vigorous enough to raise the pulse and respiration rate will result in increased fitness, improved bowel and bladder control and has been shown to reduce depression, anger and fatigue.
Like any other exercise program, consult your doctor first and consider some of the following precautions:
- Do not exercise during flare-ups
- Try to avoid overheating. Avoid exercise outside when humidity is high, or try to exercise in a cooler room. Avoid exercising in pools with water temps over 84 degrees.
- Dress in layers in order to remove clothing as body temperature changes.
- Listen to your own body. Set reasonable expectations. Make a commitment and try to stick with it, but if an exacerbation of MS calls for a time out, you will have a better reserve of muscle strength and cardio function when you return.
The Huntington YMCA offers an exercise class for patients with MS. The class consists of yoga, aerobic and strength training geared for people with this condition. For more information, contact class coordinator Jody Knight at (740) 886-0532.
Cheryl A. Justice is fitness director of the YMCA, IDEA advanced personal trainer and a gold-certified weight management consultant. It is recommended that a person consult with a physician before beginning any exercise program.
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