Are you exercising? Don't let your Multiple Sclerosis be your excuse not to!!!
Have you noticed with Multiple Sclerosis that the more you don’t feel “normal” the more you don’t feel normal? I constantly tell myself that I feel great, I will walk “normal” again and that not every day is a bad day. [Side note: Have you noticed also that a lot of people with Multiple Sclerosis seem to have an amazing attitude? I have challenges walking, but I am still walking. I am amazed when I talk to people much worse off than me and find that they are far more optimistic than I am with a much better attitude. Hmmm. I see this a lot with people that suffer from MS. Obviously I need to learn something here.]

But I digress...back to the topic. For example, I may be really stiff which would give me a reason not to workout. However, I know that if I just go workout I won’t be so stiff and movement will be easier. The more I lay around, the stiffer I become.

Lack of mobility breeds immobility.
With MS, your body stiffens up and it is difficult to move. You have to exercise to minimize the stiffness. I notice a similar phenomena with my 74 year-old father who has a dropped foot and walks with a cane. The more he sits in his cozy recliner, the less he wants to get out and walk. Yet moving today often impacts our future mobility.

Push yourself to the limits to which you are comfortable.
I can no longer do the treadmill but I can go for 40 minutes on the elliptical trainer. Lifting weights is harder for me than it used to be but I keep lifting as I can feel the battle going on in my body where the disease is trying to minimize my strength. I can't lift what I used to but if I don't keep taxing these muscles, their power will dwindle away. This is a battle that I am going to fight!

Get up and get out – your future depends on it!