Introducing The MS Gym
March 2019, my inspirational postcard sent to me by The MS Gym Team!
“Nothing speeds brain atrophy more than being immobilized in the same environment." Norman Doidge
Early 2019
My PT friend recommended The MS Gym to me, she discovered it when trying to find exercises to assist with my problem areas. I had seen it mentioned in my Lemtrada Facebook Group but always thought people were just talking about the gym and I went to the gym but definitely didn't think it was that great! I was wrong, they were talking about a specific company called The MS Gym which was started up by Trevor Wicken. Before I talk about my journey with The MS Gym - if you are not doing this then you absolutely should be. I promise you, that you will learn things that your specialist has never told you (and to be honest, they bloody well should tell us!). I have learnt more from Trevor than any medical professional I have come across. You can discover more on his website: http://www.themsgym.com/ - you do not have to spend money on this, he gives plenty of free advice and there are lots of free videos and guides. In fact I first joined his free Facebook Group first and downloaded the free Drop Foot Exercise Guides - https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheMSGym After a few weeks of doing this and see great progress I signed up to the full membership which gave me access to The Members Only Group and also a whole database of specific exercises and programmes that are all planned out for you.
#victory I just cannot believe how amazing the MS Gym is - week 11 and OMG when I focus on my BGB and take a step my KNEE BENDS!!! I feel it going as it should the only problem is my foot drop isn't there yet but it is definitely moving in the right direction. I find my FES actually hinders the knee bend because of the electrical pulses but for now I need it but I have hope that this Summer perhaps I can actually wear my shorts and not have wires hanging down my legs 🙂
It's funny now looking back at my posts in the Members Group and seeing all my #victories the first 3 months I was in the group I think I just did BGB Boot Camp over and over again. Repetition is key for neuroplasticity and what's BGB you ask - BGB is butt, guts and blades the 3 key areas that we neglect when we have MS. We've stopped clenching our butts, we've stopped holding our stomachs in and we tense our shoulders all the time. I hadn't considered any of these things when my walking deteriorated but a few months in The MS Gym I had learnt so much and discovered all the things I was doing wrong through compensating for weaknesses caused by the MS spasticity.
I have seen a lot of people join The MS Gym and get frustrated when they feel like they are going backwards and I have seen this again in the Light Therapy Group (which I will come to when I finally catch up with 2020). You have to read and listen to the information provided and I believe many people don't do this instead they just want instant success. You have to accept that wherever you are on the MS journey you body has got to unlearn everything it has learnt in the years up until this point. This takes time and you have to understand the brain is a complex organism, it has to absorb changes it encounters, it needs time to process these changes and that most often means it will stop focusing on other areas - hence you will feel worse for a while. Accepting this is KEY it is part of the journey of recovery.
It's all about the mindset
Only you can make yourself exercise every day and I promise (as does Trevor) that if you stay focused and do your daily programme exercises you will see improvements. If you are going to do this half-heartedly then you know it's your own fault if you don't. Trevor makes everything so easy for you so don't make excuses, even if you can only do an hour a day make that hour count.
My method is having Saturday as my day of rest - so I would exercise every day and then look forward to my rest day. This also meant if I had a busy weekend planned (pre-covid obviously!) then I could do my workout Friday morning and then again on Sunday evening and still get my weekend to enjoy. If I ever had a day when I didn't feel like it, I would tell myself it's almost Saturday and you will regret not doing it. Always easy to fall off the bandwagon but harder to get back on it. I normally go either BGB Bootcamp Standing or Standing Strong along with a couple of Companion Guides (these are specific exercises for things like Foot Drop, Hip Flexors etc...)
Since I discovered Taopatches (more on this soon I promise), I haven't stuck rigidly to every day before Taopatches if I missed a day or two of exercise for holiday or if I was extremely busy I would notice it and that got me back focused doing it daily. Since Taopatches I am finding that I don't see the same downward spiral if I don't exercise every single day (except Sat). BUT I still do the MS Gym most days, I still do my personal trainer gym session every week, I still massage daily and do a few minor exercises in the evenings on the days I don't do a full MS Gym session. I have found a level that works for me but for the first 18 months I was doing between an hour and two hours 6 days a week. You want to see changes you have to work hard for them, but believe me it is worth it.
Here are some more of my #success posts
#success today I went to London for the day without my wheelchair (first time on a day out), just my sticks and one of my best friends and her 5 year old daughter. We got the train in, a taxi to a hotel for afternoon tea and then a walk round the corner to the theatre to see the Lion King and then back home. I walked almost 7000 steps and didn’t once wish I’d had my wheelchair with me. So proud of myself. Could not have done this without the MS gym it truly is life changing. Thank you Trevor
Afternoon tea in London
#victory heel slide - hard work but finally did it without assistance (excuse my crazy pjs)
#victory I haven’t been able to lift my foot up for a long time - 5 months into the gym and whoop whoop - it’s hard work and tires out quickly but success! Ignore tv sound in background (we are binge watching Bones!)
“You have brains in your head.You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself Any direction you choose.” Dr Seuss
As Dr Seuss says, you can determine your own destiny. There is nothing worse than people moaning about life but doing nothing about it. If you want to change it, then change it. I live my life with the attitude of there is always a way around it - there is always a solution to the problem. It may drive my husband insane but I won't ever accept 'No' as an answer if I did then I would have accepted a life of immobility and that's just not me. If there is one thing you do today, read Trevor's website and give him a chance to prove to you there is another way forward without drugs (and I don't know about you but I haven't read one story of someone with MS actually see huge success through drugs alone)
Finally if you like to read then I highly recommend reading this book by Norman Doidge which discusses the amazing way that the brain can heal itself!
#taopatches #taopatch #multiplesclerosis #ms #health #neurologicaldisease #autoimmunedisease #livingwithms #themsgym #trevorwicken #osteopath #successstories #newyork #winter #relapse #msrelapse #lemtrada
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