Working It Out

by Dean Kramer
November, 2004

I just finished creating a poor man's home gym. I got an inexpensive elastic band and pulley system which mounts on a door. I also have an exercise ball, several stretching bands and, upstairs under my computer desk, a passive pedal exerciser with a timer. The exercycle, called an "Oxycycle" is the most expensive piece in my "gym" but, at under $200, was far less expensive than the other passive cycles I've seen advertised.


I had wanted to get into a routine of physical exercise and stimulation because I’ve heard so much lately about the importance of keeping active even if you have MS and can’t do "regular" sports activities.


I kept reading pep talks by trainers and physical therapists, and by sports enthusiasts who have MS but seem able to accomplish a great deal physically. Just before writing this I’d watched a two hour program on the Paralympics and had marveled at the drive and dedication shown by those athletes.


Also, I am aware that my MS is getting worse. I don't walk at all well these days. My left leg barely lifts. My legs buckle if I stand for too long. I lose my balance if I look down or bend forward. I've had a few bad falls and one broken bone in the past year. I'd been wondering if regular exercise might restore some of my lost ability or, at least, delay further loss.


So I set up my gym and each morning, instead of grabbing a mug of coffee and heading off to spend a few minutes at the computer before Ieaving Cripple Creek for work, my plan was to spend time exercising. Instead, though, each morning I've looked ruefully at my equipment wishing I had the energy to use it.


I keep forgetting that MS is a neurologic issue, not a muscular one. When tested, my muscles are actually quite strong. Due to faulty "wiring" they simply don't do what I ask of them. But the longer they go unused, not receiving messages from my demyelinated nerves, the more likely I am to lose the strength I have.


On the other hand, the more I ask of my nerves, the sooner they shut down. I have to rely on them for more than a daily workout. I need them to get me to my job each day, to work for 8 hours, and then to get me home. Once home, and on weekends, I need them to allow me to do all the household and personal care chores that keep the whole show running. By the time all that is done I just want to relax with a book or stare glazed-eyed at the TV. Even though I have culled the things I consider "necessary" to do and have also earned to gracefully accept help from others, their number is still legion. In addition, with MS all of these things take more time than they did when I was able-bodied.


Hence, my daily dilemma—ought I use my limited time and energy for a brief morning workout or must I save it for obligations about which I have no choice? At least, that is how I saw the situation.


Fortunately my tendency toward extremism has been tempered by MS itself. One gift of MS is that it has required me to learn to look for shortcuts, compromises, and simpler ways of achieving ends that once were accomplished with extravagant expenditures of energy.


I realized that I could still grab my mug of coffee and head to the computer. While there I could set the brakes on my manual wheelchair and strap my feet into the exercycle’s pedals. I could pedal for as little as 3-5 minutes. Any movement would be better than none. I didn't have to approach it as if training for competition. I ain't Lance in the Tour de France.


It also occurred to me that instead of leaving the living room and my family, to use a separate room for exercise, I could use my manual wheelchair as an exercise bench. By setting the brakes and attaching resistance-bands to the chair’s metal frame I can work both my arms and my legs. I can do this while relaxing with loved ones in front of the tube in the evening, listening to music, even reading a book. The same is true for the exercise ball. I can park it in front of the TV and bounce while I watch. Again, I don’t have to do so many reps and sets that I exhaust myself because, let’s face it, neither Jane Fonda nor Arnold Schwarzenegger is coaching me and, in any case, some exercise is more than none.


They say that having a goal can be useful when committing to an exercise program. I'm taking a trip, a holiday gift from my mom, in late December with 4 able-bodied family members. I plan to use my wheelchair for the most part but I’d love to have a bit more strength and flexibility by then. Consider that my goal. Jazzed though I am after watching the Paralympic athletes in Greece, it's probably more realistic for me than planning to try out for Beijing in 2008.


By making my workout part of what I already do on a daily basis instead of an onerous extra activity crammed into an already full schedule, it's more likely that exercise will become a routine aspect of my life. In fact, I'm so inspired by what I’ve just written that I may actually begin doing these things today!