Ever hear the quote, "A body in motion, stays in motion?" I live by that these days. My friend Sue and I were running on Sunday, while we were running, we were having a conversation about my gait, and how it changes step by step through a run. My first step may be strong with both legs fully engaged, and my final step, my left leg can be fully disengaged and dragging behind me. I have come to accept that my body is the perfect specimen for Newton's Law of Motion.
One of the things I am learning from reading various threads in on-line MS support groups is that people who have stayed active over the years after being diagnosed with MS, are still active. Their activities may have changed, and in some cases change day to day, but ultimately, they are able to maintain some semblance of activity. I am now convinced that I need to keep this body of mine in motion.
Here is where Newton's Law really comes into play for me. Although Newton's law states that an object will remain in motion at a constant velocity, it also states that an external force can change that motion. MS is that external force that impacts my motion. Yes, I realize that my Myelin (or lack there of) is physically internal, but it is not something that I have control of. In my conversation with my friend on Sunday, I told her that rather than stop running, because of the physical challenges I experience from MS, I need to continue running so that my left side doesn't atrophy, and figure out a way to strengthen my body to accommodate the loss of movement. Will that be physical therapy? planks? using my arms more? I honestly don't know. But it is all a learning process.
Pre MS, I considered myself an athlete. Everyone gets to define the term athlete, and according to my definition I qualified. As anyone with a chronic disease knows, after your diagnosis you are faced with redefining yourself, right or wrong. The honest truth is that, after diagnosis you truly are the same person, right? I think I am, but accepting that is a struggle for any human being, I think...
While I have my own little internal struggle over the new trajectory of my life, I can tell you that the best thing I can do for myself, is keep doing. I read so often that people with MS simply give up. I will admit, my house cleaning and laundry skills have taken a hit over the last year, and I am 100% content blaming it on MS, but the reality is, if I keep doing what I love, I will be able to better adapt what I love to conform to my life's daily changes. MS has also taught me a lot about who I love, what I love and what I love doing... More about that another day!
So, tonight I will do a pile of laundry and maybe do my dishes, because it needs to be done. However, I will hang some doors at my friends house this weekend, because I love household projects!!!
Basically what I am getting at is that we all have control over our movement forward in life, and I'm not only talking about our physical movement. Sure we may have physical barriers, but that is when we adapt, learn the new process and move on. In the words of my FAVORITE sister in law... I simply will 'Keep Trecking'.
One of the things I am learning from reading various threads in on-line MS support groups is that people who have stayed active over the years after being diagnosed with MS, are still active. Their activities may have changed, and in some cases change day to day, but ultimately, they are able to maintain some semblance of activity. I am now convinced that I need to keep this body of mine in motion.
Here is where Newton's Law really comes into play for me. Although Newton's law states that an object will remain in motion at a constant velocity, it also states that an external force can change that motion. MS is that external force that impacts my motion. Yes, I realize that my Myelin (or lack there of) is physically internal, but it is not something that I have control of. In my conversation with my friend on Sunday, I told her that rather than stop running, because of the physical challenges I experience from MS, I need to continue running so that my left side doesn't atrophy, and figure out a way to strengthen my body to accommodate the loss of movement. Will that be physical therapy? planks? using my arms more? I honestly don't know. But it is all a learning process.
Pre MS, I considered myself an athlete. Everyone gets to define the term athlete, and according to my definition I qualified. As anyone with a chronic disease knows, after your diagnosis you are faced with redefining yourself, right or wrong. The honest truth is that, after diagnosis you truly are the same person, right? I think I am, but accepting that is a struggle for any human being, I think...
While I have my own little internal struggle over the new trajectory of my life, I can tell you that the best thing I can do for myself, is keep doing. I read so often that people with MS simply give up. I will admit, my house cleaning and laundry skills have taken a hit over the last year, and I am 100% content blaming it on MS, but the reality is, if I keep doing what I love, I will be able to better adapt what I love to conform to my life's daily changes. MS has also taught me a lot about who I love, what I love and what I love doing... More about that another day!
So, tonight I will do a pile of laundry and maybe do my dishes, because it needs to be done. However, I will hang some doors at my friends house this weekend, because I love household projects!!!
Basically what I am getting at is that we all have control over our movement forward in life, and I'm not only talking about our physical movement. Sure we may have physical barriers, but that is when we adapt, learn the new process and move on. In the words of my FAVORITE sister in law... I simply will 'Keep Trecking'.
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| One of my favorite pictures of me and my sister-in-law! |
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