live to fight on!

well well well, there's no legitimate reason for my absence I guess I get caught up in mental hoopla of November but I'm glad to be back. The reason that I saw fit to blog this morning is regarding a mishap I had at the gym. My level of disability isn't extremely severe but it's severe enough that I need a cane because of my drop foot. I was at the treadmill as I usually start off my regimen I started at 3.0 at a quite brisk pace. I recently started using an older pair of sneakers because I thought they were somewhat cleaner (BIG mistake). I wasn't using common sense this morning because much like a tire gets worn or bald the same happens with sneakers, when I built up a gradual speed at one point my foot lost grip with the tread and as a result I ended up kneeling quickly and was launched backward and crashing to the ground.

worn shoes, BAD for MS

In the war against MS I have slowly been getting used to my weaknesses, I am tough and I'm used to getting scraped knees. It's now just a matter of resting and working out another day. Even though I may not like the other shoes it's important for me to switch back.

Steady as she goes

For me, the mantra for this upcoming week will be steady as she goes. As I previously posted I took a spill a few days ago, I fell just to the side of my tailbone - I'm not in a tremendous amount of pain and although I did not see a doctor I know that I have to try to stay off my tuchus which is easier said then done when you're disabled. I've kind of been experimenting with a sideways sit (one cheek higher than the other but when all else fails I retreat to the bedroom to laydown (sideways). Nothing is impossible just have to try to tweak my upcoming workout routine for this week. Instead of sitting at the stationary bike after I get off the treadmill I'll be staying on the treadmill longer at a slower speed in order to not burn out. The Raccounters "steady as she goes"

todays workout

Most of lifes obstacles NEED to be overcome, MS is no different. I should preface that with if it's possible to overcome an obstacle in MS I think you should try to do so. At this time last year I was in the process of joining a gym because I was discharged from outpatient physical therapy. Upon starting at the gym I gauged my comfort level on certain machines since the gym didn't have the same machines as the phys. therapy office.

the treadmill in my gym is similar to this one but has a longer plastic  "handlebar" area to grab  onto

One machine that has turned into a necessity is the treadmill, at the gym my first few weeks I hovered around a 1.5, eventually I was able to progress to a 2.0 for an average of a 10 minute walk. These past few weeks I've been gauging my strength and endurance during my treadmill time and progressed to 2.1 and eventually 2.4, when doing all this I keep the emergency stop with arms length because I have also been increasing my walking time to 20 minutes. So far so good, I'm thankful that I haven't had a relapse or  had any other complications. Today I did a good 20 minutes at 2.4 and walked for .78 of a mile. I'm not a math wiz so I don't know exactly what the 2.4 translates into a per hour ratio but I know I feel great. While I do all of this it is important to note that sometimes dial down the treadmill speed to compensate for my dropfoot.

Pumped from the gym

I had a great workout today at the gym and I've come home to rest, I'm trying to get a few good workouts in before I leave for vacation. Although if you think about it - I'm going to Disney world, the amount of walking (without the mobility scooter) is going to be a good workout so I should be good. At the gym I went up an extra .1 on the treadmill to 2.4, I did that for sixteen minutes then I cranked it down to 2.0 to finish up.

Still feeling a bit pumped I wanted to hear some good mood music that I've shared before, Karate Kid theme

the highs and lows

went to the gym today and as always it was an adventure. I did my usual fifteen minutes on the treadmill all went well with that, I'm able to do a half mile on a good day(and today was a good day). After that I went over to the stationary bike, I have to use the seated bikes due to my drop foot and balance problems. Upon sitting down a funny thing happened, I got this real big adrenaline boost (more than usual, I'm chalking it up to my coffee). I tore through my routine like I was pedaling away from danger! I usually do 2 miles within fifteen minutes, I ended up doing it ten minutes & thirty seconds, I didn't want to push it past that. I ended with my usual leg press and knee bend machines. On my way home I noticed a little minor blurring in my vision, the lesson learned there is that I should appreciate my strengths and not forget that with my MS my unseen obstacles are still there. I also know that I'll sleep like a baby tonight and I'll most likely be a sleepy slug tomorrow.

baby steps 'back to the gym'

after a successful infusion I awoke bright and early on friday ready to "conquer" the gym. It's key for me to get to the gym early enough as I'll further explain, I belong to one of those "no judgement" bargain gyms that prides itself as being a lunk free zone which in and of itself is kind of ironic in my local gym because a lot of my fellow gym goers are just what the gym tries to avoid, sweaty dudes grunting and not wiping down machines after they use them. The low price is the only reason I stay, that and my father is my workout buddy and he comes along with me. .... I'm veering off course here, I had to keep in mind my original goals from when I was going to out-patient physical therapy, you're not going there to bulk up just trying to reverse atrophy. you're not there to impress others just because someone else is doing a Usain Bolt impression nearby doesn't mean I have to feel inadequate. Always work within my comfort level, it's ok to be slow on a treadmill, after all I use a cane

keep working out

as I mentioned on an earlier blog post I've been working out and enjoying my progress, the only difficulty lies with ... ego. Before I was diagnosed last  year I was holding  had down three jobs, I've always had a strong work ethic and it kind of fell by the wayside upon my initial diagnosis. (in the sense that a disabled man with cog-fog shouldn't be in charge of doing paperwork or unloading a truck in the Florida heat) I mention my ego because I still have the mindset of going the extra mile (literally) or wanting to. The only difficulties lay with working within my boundaries. The success that I have enjoyed is that I may not be able to start the treadmill on 3.0 but I can start at half of that and move the incline up to 10.0 without much difficulty and pain. trying to do that with the mindset of health NOT bulk is always something that I have to keep in mind.

falling back into practice

me and my Ranger November of 2005 pre-MS

as I have mentioned I recently started driving again after a nineteen month absence. My initial return started out a little bumpy, I had a near miss while trying to change lanes (don't know if I can take responsibility for that one or if I can blame the huge blind spot my truck has) regardless of that no harm has come to anyone in my vicinity and I continue to get into a good groove re: driving. I liken my recent driving adventures to my recent forays in handwriting, at first it'll look scary but I just have to slow down and try again. being thirty five and having relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis theres a small part of me that misses the daily bump and grind then theres the logical side of my brain that dictates that a forty hour work week will only zap my strength, that trying to do a 90 minute workout will do the sane, zap the hell out of my strength. It's all a matter of perspective and being responsible, can I drive? yes. should I drive in a torrential downpour or in a sparsely lit area? not really, for myself or most people in general I think. Can I do a moderate 45 minute workout? yes! can I do a 45 minute session of trying to go twice as fast on the treadmill or lift twice as much on the leg press? no. a responsible workout for myself would include a basic workout to prevent atrophy not a workout to look like a juicehead.

we can work it out

*please consult a general practitioner or neurologist before starting a workout


I have developed a good workout based on the same exercises I did at physical therapy. In that routine I do an average of 10 minutes on the exercise bike and 8-10 minutes on the treadmill. Part of my difficulty is that I still have my old thought pattern of being gung-ho and wanting to do more than what my body will allow me to do. that is the main reason for putting a cap or time limit on any or all of the machines. My routine also includes 3 weight machines after the bike and treadmill. I changed it up today did 20 minutes on the treadmill and subtracted the weight machines (just for today)

I don't believe in setbacks

From the moment I was first told that I had multiple sclerosis it seemed that negativity was out to get me. That is mostly due to the horrendous attitude that the attending neurologist had, she was relaying all of the other diseases that I might have. That was resolved by a prescription to Celexa and exercising my right to not be brought down by that negative Nelly. Since then I have become a bit more educated in MS and thankfully I have no other diseases. I try to be positive, there's no place to go but up(thinking about how low that Dr. had me feeling) Most MSers tend to have a positive outlook from what I've seen.

I've spent the last month practicing my cane usage, trying to upgrade from the walker. I might have overdone it just a bit because last Wednesday my knee was a teeny bit swollen, so I left physs therapy early. I've had twisted knees before (twenty years ago) so I know it wasn't that, I think (and my phys therapist agreed) my knee is just a bit over used. I spent most of Wed/Thurs taking it easy on the couch and relying more on my walker, Friday I went in and started my rehab a bit slower. In the end I didn't leave early and I did most of my workout. There's nowhere to go but up!

Life on MarS

Whether it is a recent diagnosis or not, having Multiple Sclerosis is NEVER easy. dealing with a diagnosis is an unimaginable idea for anyone to deal with. That diagnosis is my daily reality I have had to do my best to be positive and not sound wishy washy when it comes to to Motivating myself or those around me. I try to gather strength from my accomplishments, today at physical therapy I was downgraded from a three times a week cycle to twice a week. I have gathered alot of strength alot of it physical FROM my workout routine