My husband and friends are always amazed at my determination to just get on with things - remember only you are responsible for you - if you want to make a change then you have to get up and do it. This morning I woke up exhausted, going to bed later than usual due to watching the very long England V's Italy game meant my brain took ages to switch off - which equated to rubbish sleep. And sadly it wasn't coming home for us England fans but we played well and there is always the World Cup next year (fingers crossed) Anyway, I could have quite easily just stayed in bed and lounged around but that is going to achieve nothing - and actually, I would feel even worse the next day. So, I got up and put on my butt shorts (don't laugh these are an amazing device that I totally forgot to share with you in my last post) and chilled out on my bed whilst the electrodes did their work to wake up my lazy glutes. More on this later. This half an hour of focused relaxation time allowed me to wake up and get ready for my day.
I normally like to do my exercise first thing but because I woke up later that wasn't going to happen. It's now 10:22am and I am sat at my desk writing this. I will do my Day 3 OBP Contraction Training workout in a little while but as I didn't get downstairs until 9.45am I needed to eat some food and take my morning supplements (D3, Omega 3, NAG, NAC, Zinc, B2, L-Glutamine, D-Mannose plus my 4 other supplements for my viral protocol. Yes I rattle as a I walk! Breakfast this morning was wild smoked salmon with some avocado, blueberries and strawberries, I do miss my morning cereal but I am sure my body is thanking me inside.
I have to do some work every morning as we run a UK competition platform and that means every morning I have to ensure winners are selected and emails are responded too. I also promote our new daily prizes - we have new prizes every day. It's an exciting time at the moment as we are in the process of rebuilding our website after almost 6 years. We are adding some new features which hopefully will encourage new members. I love my job - I get to make people happy every day - if you fancy supporting our business then you can sign for free at https://iwon.iwcomps.com and feel free to share with your friends and family as the more members we get the more prizes we can offer. You can also follow us on www.facebook.com/dailyclicktowin
Having my job ensures that I get up every day - it gives me a focus. If you no longer work then you need to find your new thing. Something that gives you that much needed focus outside of the exercise, diet and other MS things that consume your day. This might be writing a blog, starting a podcast like the lovely Emma I met recently - LittleMissSunshine Podcast, starting a new hobby, volunteering, writing a book, learning a new language etc. It's important to have something you focus on to give you that motivation each day. We only have one life and yes it may be shite having MS but there are worse things - we are here, we are breathing and believe me there is always some worse off than you.
I read something once that said give yourself 10 minutes a day to feel down and to get angry and let it out your system. That is not me, I don't get angry - I don't see the point. As I keep saying there are people worse off and if there is something I want to improve in my life then I work on it - and it might take me a long time. Remember it probably took years for your walking to decline or for other MS debilitating symptoms to come into play. It will take time to reverse these and it can be done - I've seen many people improve through the MS groups I belong to for exercise, diet etc... you just have to find your things. And it is vitally important to always bear in mind if you start something new - there will be times when you go backwards - don't allow that to stop you from doing it - don't let it put your off - our brains are amazing organs and they need time to digest and absorb and this can mean it stops focusing on other things within your body. It is never a smooth upward climb - it will always be backwards and forwards but you will still keep going up. Have faith.
Before I finish - let me introduce you to my butt shorts - Gymtech Pro Shorts - one thing I learnt from Trevor Wicken was that people with MS have very lazy glutes. So, when I saw these come up on my newsfeed I thought they looked like a great asset to my gadget collection. My butt is definitely getting stronger but it is a very slow process - I try and do these every other morning so every day when I have time. I also ensure I do other glute work so I am not solely relying on these. I definitely recommend them. Sadly the price has gone up since I purchased them but keep an eye on their Facebook page as they may have offers coming up
So, your Monday Motivation is to:
Find your exercise programme - if you haven't checked our Trevor Wicken and the MS Gym or Optimal Body Programme with David Lyons then please do - these will give you a daily focus for movement which is key to helping you feel more motivated and in control of your wellbeing
Make sure you are on the right supplements - there is some great advice on the MS Hope website around diet and supplement.
Make the change to your diet - what would you rather - that big slice or chocolate cake or having more energy and feeling fitter? It is hard giving up the foods we have been conditioned to love since a young age - but what if they are responsible for your health? We are what we eat after all.
Find something outside of MS to give you focus especially if you don't have a job - you are still a capable person with many talents. Don't let MS win the battle.