neuros are really pushing for us to get alot of exercise

[emily06]

Do you think taking a beginning Salsa class would be okay. The drug co. dinner meetings' featured neuros are saying we should do 30 mins. or exercise twice a day.

Someone just mentioned to me that a new beginners class of Salsa dancing starts in a few weeks and I should take it. I love salsa music I'm just not sure if people with MS should be doing such activity.

what do you all think?

[MyGirlsMom]

That is a fantastic idea and I keep bringing up to my husband that we should do just that!! I want to learn to salsa dance before I can't. That said, it is hard for us to get it booked with all of our daughters' activities and his travel for work. Thanks for the reminder!!

[Seasha]

Hi emily - I think it's a great idea! The one thing about exercise and MS is that you do not want to get overheated while dancing. For some, it can cause a pseudoexacerbation, so remember to stay hydrated. Maybe wear a cooling neck wrap?

Only you can be the gauge for what works and doesn't. So, try it out! If it is too much, you can always back away.

Hope you have lots of fun

[DianeD]

ha, ha, ha

Salsa dancing? Exercising twice a day. Well, if you can do it why not. I'm just laughing because how I wish that were something I could do. I am having trouble just staying awake!

So many of us with MS have fatigue issues and balance issues. Yes, we should try to do something resembling exercise, but many of us can barely stand or walk. I do believer in the saying 'use it or lose it', but neuros need to be realistic.

I often feel my neuro isn't getting it at all. I often tell my doctor that I wish there was a way to transfer how I'm feeling to him so they might actually feel how it feels.

I say do want you can do though. If you can dance, go for it.

Diane

[Dale76]

Does my daily routeen not count as exercise? Because I sure feel exhausted at the end of the day. I need more rest not more exercise!

[Tawanda]

If it were a choice between exercise and taking a DMT for treating MS, I'd pick exercise any day of the week and twice on Sunday! Luckily, we don't have to make that choice. I think most of us can still do something. Montel Williams said if the only thing MS left working on his body was his neck, he'd do "neck-ups"!

[DianeD]

To that I say

Does my daily routeen not count as exercise? Because I sure feel exhausted at the end of the day. I need more rest not more exercise!

You are right on!

Diane :-)

[Thinkimjob]

Well, having just returned from a short trip round the not-so supermarket, and treading the well-worn path to the pharmacy, that's me done for the day.

Stagger to car, (15 metres), get in car (lift leg with arm), lurch to the trolley corral from handicapped car park (10 metres), push trolley up ramp (cross-training?) and round a few aisles (100 metres), put selected items in trolley (weights), take items out at checkout and then put bags back in trolley (more weights).

Then do it all in reverse, until everything is in the cupboard. I don't have the energy left to make a cup of coffee, let alone get some more exercise.

[Tawanda]

Dale, Diane, Thinkimjob...

YES! Daily routines count as exercise!! Typing on a keyboard is still a body in motion! My MS mother and MS SIL were completely paralyzed from this disease. My SIL recently passed away from a heart attack. Being bed-ridden made her obese and her heart finally gave out. Both my mother and SIL would have killed to do what you all can still do.

I keep this quote by the late great Martin Luther King* under the glass on my dresser, "If you can't fly, run. If you can't run, walk. If you can't walk, crawl, but by all means KEEP MOVING!" I read it at the beginning of every day no matter how crappy I feel, and so far, I am still moving in one way or another...

*Of course MLK didn't have MS, but I think I can give him a pass on that one!

[lorib]

...I'm just not sure if people with MS should be doing such activity.

I am very fortunate with how my disease has progressed the past 10 years! I am still able to exercise. This class sounds great! Just do your best not to get too warm. Make sure you have water or something cool to drink nearby and take a few drinks every once in a while. Have fun!!

[PositiveMS]

Physiotherapist

So I only see my neuro about once a year, but my physiotherapist definitely pushes me! I was proud of myself for swimming twice a week and walking as much as I am able to for exercise. MY physio said to me at my recent appointment, "I want you to get more activity. Swim 3 times a week and walk more."

I sort of made me laugh because it's already a challenge to do what I am doing and still be able to work full time. I will try to up the activity, but it's a balance between exercising and still being able to walk a straight line afterwards! I'm always up for a challenge though, and I do count my blessings that I am still mobile.

[Cat Mom]

I love salsa music I'm just not sure if people with MS should be doing such activity.

what do you all think?

IMHO, people with MS should do any activity that brings enjoyment to our lives! I took yoga a few years ago and could only do half the class but it was an awesome half the class.

Go for it!

Jen

[lstrl]

I say give it a try. If it doesn't work out, then you just don't continue to go. It can be so good for you if you can stick with it though. Remember, you can always modify it to your ability. You don't have to do exactly what the instructor does.

As I was bouncing back from a bad relapse, I became a Zumba junkie. Even at my best, I still had to modify to my ability, but most people never even knew there was something wrong with me. It helped me so much and I felt so great back when I was doing it 5 days a week. Then I pretty much quit doing it when I was forced into working again (the fatigue has killed me), and now I sometimes go once a week, but usually not even that. After all the time spent not doing it, I can barely move my body anymore.

I know it's frustrating when people who don't suffer from a chronic disease are telling you all of the things that you should do even though it's really hard, but it is amazing what exercise can do for your body if you are still able to do it.

[Dale76]

So I only see my neuro about once a year, but my physiotherapist definitely pushes me! I was proud of myself for swimming twice a week and walking as much as I am able to for exercise. MY physio said to me at my recent appointment, "I want you to get more activity. Swim 3 times a week and walk more."

I sort of made me laugh because it's already a challenge to do what I am doing and still be able to work full time. I will try to up the activity, but it's a balance between exercising and still being able to walk a straight line afterwards! I'm always up for a challenge though, and I do count my blessings that I am still mobile.

Sorry but it sounds like your neuro's advice is a little off. If your already pushing yourself to your limit, pushing harder is more likely to cause your condition to worsen. I know everyone's a little different but I think it is pretty much universal that overdoing it is normally a negative when you have MS.

[PositiveMS]

Oh, my bad. I didn't express myself clearly. What I was getting at is to agree with other posters that my doc/physio do push for more activity. They are seeing such great improvement that they are telling me I can handle more activity.

They say I need to work on my overall stamina, but they did say do less but much more frequently. Swim for shorter periods but go more often. Walk much more frequently but cut down on the distance.

They always tell me to stop when I get foot drop or start to feel like I'm pushing it too much. I was just trying to be funny with the walking a straight line bit