“I can’t imagine a life
without exercise,” she wrote.
“Physical inactivity would
depress me. Exercise helps
me feel good about myself.”
Besides the obvious physical
achievements, Susan noted
the psychological success
she was experiencing even
though she now has more
MS symptoms.
A Y staff member, Cara
DeSimone, took an in-depth National MS Society-sponsored course for personal trainers on exercise
and MS. It turns out that
DENNIS CUR TIN
Cara’s mother has MS and
she can speak from a wealth
of knowledge. I asked her to comment on the
psychological benefits of exercising that she has
observed in me. “It is a very important part of
Bill’s life,” Cara wrote. “He feels pleased when he
completes an exercise session, and I think exercise
gives him a sense of accomplishment. Also, he
enjoys interacting with the other people who are
working out.”
But exercise barriers are real
I told my support group members, all of whom
exercise, about the results of the formal research
review and then put this question to them: If
exercise benefits us physically and psychologically, why aren’t more of us exercising regularly?
They quickly listed a number of barriers,
emphasizing those that they believed were: over
and above the barriers faced by the general public
when it comes to exercise. The most bothersome
were: managing the time needed to exercise within
a complex schedule; MS fatigue; symptom worsening due to exercise-generated heat; embarrassment over MS symptoms showing up in a health-oriented environment; having physicians who do
not specifically encourage or prescribe exercise;
frustration over progression of disability despite
exercise; lack of accessible, inexpensive facilities
and lack of transportation to facilities.
Getting on with it
There was agreement by the support group
members that knowing the many benefits of
exercise and anticipating possible barriers could
help people with MS begin and continue to
exercise. While the barriers are significant, they
are surmountable by exploring how other people
with MS have addressed them.* The fact that
research shows exercise provides both physical
and psychological benefits to people with MS
only makes exercising that much sweeter.
* We will publish replies to our survey on exercise
barriers and how they’ve been overcome (see page 12)
in the Spring issue of Momentum.
Dr. Anthony has written over 100 professional articles, 16
textbooks, and several dozen book chapters. In 1992 he
received the Distinguished Service Award from President
George H. Bush for “promoting the dignity, equality, independence and employment of people with disabilities.”
