AT THE GYM/POOL/STUDIO
 

Venturing out of your house to your neighborhood gym or pool can be just the ticket to jumpstart your fitness routine. Before you do, here are some tips to help maximize the experience when you have a disability or chronic illness.

 

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• Time your parking. Gyms are notorious for filling up handicapped parking spaces due to seniors working to get in shape, too. If finding a spot is tricky for you, check the class schedule and avoid going to the gym during times when classes for senior citizens are being held (unless you are in the class, of course!).

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• Ask for a discount. Many fitness centers and ski areas offer deep discounts to those with disabilities or diseases. If it means saving a few bucks, don’t be shy about busting out that MS card. If anyone asks, I keep a note in my glove box… or I just awkwardly walk or wheel for them. Ha!

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• Get an exercise buddy. Some of us can get motivated to exercise just by putting on sneakers, while others might need a bit more prodding. With a taser. Research and personal experience has found that enlisting someone to exercise with regularly does wonders and helps keep both of you honest. This is especially helpful at the gym. Virtual buddies work too!

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• Look up to stay cool. Before you start working out on a cardio machine, look up. You’ll want to park yourself closest to the ceiling fans, floor fans, and/or air conditioning vents. If it is winter, you’ll want to avoid areas that blow hot air.

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• Check your ego at the door. No, maybe you can’t perform like you once were able to. And while that can be immensely frustrating, it’s better to put your ego in check and just get to working out doing what you can do today, not wishing for what you could do yesterday. But if it makes you feel better, go ahead and move that weight pin down a few notches after you finish your set, I won’t tell.

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• Use the facilities. Incontinence problems are common with MS. Use the bathroom before exercise and if you feel that urge during your workout, you know the drill. Stop and get to a restroom. Don’t try to finish those last four minutes on the elliptical machine. And stretching often wakes up a sleeping bladder—you’ve been warned.

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• Stretch before and after. Don’t rush into your workout. Limber up your body by slowly warming up. After your exercise session, take time to cool down with 10-15 minutes of stretching. Another trick: choose a mat position near a beefy piece of equipment that you can grab onto. It makes getting onto the floor and back up again much easier.

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• Class work. The best programs for flexibility and balance include yoga, tai chi, and Pilates. They are taught at many gyms and private studios. Try each one and see what you like best. Not only are there many that accommodate people with disabilities, but also lots are tailored specifically to those with mobility issues.

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• Serious class work. As active MSers—emphasis on active—if you feel game, try something a bit harder. Like CrossFit or hit the dojo for some martial arts training. Explore your local climbing gym. Find your jam. Because when you do, exercise ceases to be “exercise.”

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• Get thee to thy ballroom. Tisha, a fellow ActiveMSer, swears by ballroom dancing. Makes sense, because your dance partner can add stability even if you have two left feet like me. Plus, it’s a heck of a lot easier than the Hokey Pokey. Stick your left foot out and shake it all about? Unless you want dance floor carnage, dream on!

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• Pretend you’re a senior. Exercise classes geared for senior citizens are usually at a slower pace, ideal for the MSer with strength and/or mobility issues. Don’t be shy—you’ll be friends with your new classmates in short order.

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• Inform your instructor. Whether you are taking a yoga or Pilates class, it may help to let your instructor know about your multiple sclerosis. He or she likely will have ways to modify poses and exercises to better suit your ability. I recommend choosing a spot near a wall—or better yet, a corner so you can grab two walls!

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• Break out the walking aids. Exercising causes your body to produce heat and heat exacerbates symptoms. For many of us with MS, that means walking may get a little more challenging. It makes no sense to work out trying to stay healthy if you fall and bust your hip because you were too vain to use a cane or a walker. You absolutely do not want to be put out of commission for months, so if you need a walking aide, use the darn thing.

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• Or wheelchair. I have no problems using my wheelchair in the gym, although sometimes equipment may need to be moved. While I’ll often transfer on to many weight machines, there are weighted pulley systems that can be operated right from the comfort of your wheelchair. I’ll often park it there for 15 minutes so I can work my arms like a champ.

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• Seek support. Exercise machines that offer support, like upright or recumbent bikes, tend to be more comfortable and safer to use (especially if you have balance and coordination issues) than those machines that require your full body weight like treadmills. That said, weight-bearing exercises help improve balance and prevent osteoporosis, a common complication of MS, so try to mix them in.

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• Mix it up. If you do just one cardio exercise or stick to just a few weight machines, that’s fine. Fortunately, research has found that sticking to the same routine will still get you healthy. But researchers have also found that to be BORING. We recommend tweaking your program to keep your body on its toes and your motivation at its peak.

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• Amp up the cardio. An easy trick to maximize your aerobic work is to limit your time between exercises to maintain a higher heart rate. Right after pumping up your biceps, jump to triceps. And since I have no problem calling attention to my dorkiness, if I stay on one set of equipment for multiple sets, I’ll virtual “run” between sets (pumping my arms quickly) to keep my heart rate up, maximizing my time.

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• Drink frequently. Cold water does two things brilliantly. First, it hydrates you, which is important when you are sweating off liquids. Second, researchers have found that people with MS can exercise longer and harder when they take frequent drinks of icy beverages.

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• Put the phone down. That ding is not that important. That Facebook update telling people you are exercising is not that important. That perfect song is not that important. (Exception: if Nickelback comes on, gah, skip that song immediately.)

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• Go longer by going shorter. If body parts don’t fully cooperate, shorten your workouts by making them longer. Huh? Let’s say your legs turn to rubber after 20 minutes of riding the stationary bike. Then take a break after 10 minutes and do a seated punching routine for a minute or two. Then pedal again for a few minutes, rest the legs, and go back to doing your your best Ali. Repeat until you get your full time on the bike, plus all the extra cardio of air boxing.

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• Get wet. The best part about exercising in the pool is that you can work your body in so many different ways. Swim laps, participate in water aerobics, or get creative and invent your own ways to get your body moving (throw a Nerf ball and then swim after it).

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• Seek pool temps of 80-85 degrees. Some pools can get over 90 degrees, which will do your MS no favors and ramp up symptoms. Pools tend to be coolest in the early morning. If your local pool is too hot, it can’t hurt to ask to turn the temp down.

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• Use the bathroom first, really. I’m just going to remind you that life turns to a blur when Mother Nature calls in the middle of a water aerobics class and you are far, far away from the pool’s exit, and even farther way from the bathroom. That said, there is an average of 8 gallons of pee in a public pool, so, uh, yeah.

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• Count to 30 (or longer). If your body is anything like mine, my leg strength wanes after doing 10-15 reps of leg weights or doing cardio leg work. Give your legs a chance to recover before popping up to the next machine to lower the risk of falling. After cranking on the elliptical, I’ll sit back and rest, cooling down for a few minutes. Someone wants to work in? Tell ‘em to wait.

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• Scout a path. If you are a bit wobbly on your feet, before you start walking from one piece of equipment to another, scout a clear path ahead of you and look for grab points so you can catch yourself if you start to teeter.

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• Adapt your workout. Some days the legs don’t want to cooperate, so exercise your arms. Fatigue is running you down? Avoid heavy cardio. Your legs no worky? Then do that arm spinny cardio thingy. While it might not be dazzlingly entertaining, it works up a sweat.

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• Modify, modify, modify. Many fitness machines can be used in creative ways to work around your disabilities. For example, maybe you can’t safely use an elliptical machine because your legs are too uncoordinated. Then maybe try straddling the machine and just use the arm portion to get your cardio on.

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• Monopolize a machine. Normally this would be poor gym etiquette, but if you are in a chair or mobility is a serious issue, screw etiquette. It’s best to grab a machine that does many different types of exercise and unapologetically hog it. That will minimize the need to move around, maximizing your energy for your MS fitness routine.

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• Use toe straps or wear bike shoes. With my feet pretty numb, wearing toe straps while I bike keeps my legs from flying off the pedals and allows me to go at a faster cadence. Some exercise bikes work with bike shoes, which are even better than simple straps and my number one choice when they are available.

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• Choose wisely. If you lose strength doing cardio exercises, making yourself unbalanced, you’ll want to work out at the “ends” of the gym, so you can reach a wall or a place to sit easier instead of having to navigate behind a two dozen treadmills immediately after your workout.

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• Chat it up. This sounds counterintuitive. You are at the gym to work out, not talk, right? Yes and no. Having MS can be socially isolating, and fellow workout partners who you see regularly can become a second family, which is good for the soul. Put your tunes on pause for a moment, be friendly and learn their stories. These are your teammates. If they ask about your disability, fill them in.

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• Ask for help. Don’t be shy. Whether it’s carrying free weights when your balance is off or adjusting a stubborn, sticky piece of equipment when finger dexterity is wonky, there are times when you need to ask the nearest buff person for a little assistance. (Avoid asking a grandparent to lug a 50-lb dumbbell unless he or she is pretty darn fit). They’ll gladly help.

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• Wash your hands. With the amount of people in the gym smarming the exercise equipment, it’s smart to wash your hands frequently, especially after your workout (and before you get in your car). Don’t touch your mouth or nose or eyes. Getting sick while you have MS can trigger an attack and good hygiene is the number one way to avoid colds. Plus there might be a global pandemic going on.

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