MOVE!

I'm blessed beyond words. I have been given a sucktastic disease but I have also been given tools which help me not only cope but thrive. My husband says I have a secret and I should share it with some of the other 400,000 people who live with the same daily struggles I do.

MS is supposed to stop it's victims from moving, so my secret is....move more. Most people with MS stop moving because it's scary. It's scary to think of riding a bike when you can't feel some of your toes, or drag yourself to the gym when MS has sapped you of every ounce of energy you have but getting past the minor obstacles and moving can lead to greater strength, pain management and an over all better outlook on life. My coordination stinks, I'm not "athletic," and I am no great addition to any one's sports team but I work out and move more than any other 28 year old I know.

My legs hurt all the time, and since popping pills loaded with side effects doesn't sound all that appealing, I began to think of my legs like rubber bands. MS makes them feel tight but stretching them and moving helps relieve that feeling. My symptoms greet me the second my alarm goes off in the morning and my feet hit the ground, so I greet them back every morning by warming them up and stretching them out. When the tightness comes back a few hours later I make my muscles warm with a little work out then stretch again.... think shampoo....lather rinse repeat.

Everyone has heard the saying if you don't use it, you lose it... but in our case I've found that's true to an unprecedented extreme!