Last Updated on November 14, 2023 by Cathy
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that attacks the myelin sheath surrounding nerves. Myelin protects nerves that send signals between the brain and the rest of the body. As MS damages myelin it breaks communication causing neurological issues.
There are different types of MS so symptoms will vary from a stable to progressive disease. And everyone is different so symptoms will vary from person to person.
MS symptoms:
- Bladder issues
- Balance issues
- Chronic pain
- Difficulty walking
- Dizzy
- Fatigue
- Heat intolerance
- Mobility issues
- Muscle spasms
- Numbness
- Pain
- Spasticity
- Vision problems
- Weakness
To learn more about MS read: What Is Multiple Sclerosis?
Benefits Of Exercise With MS
Years ago, doctors recommended people with MS avoid exercise. They thought exercise would cause their MS to get worse. Now they know exercise is a big part of staying healthy.
Exercise improves:
- Bladder and bowel function
- Balance and coordination
- Bone density
- Cognitive function
- Fatigue
- Flexibility
- Mood
- MS damage in the brain
- Muscle strength and endurance
- Muscle cramps, spasticity, spasms, and tightness
- Posture
- Sleep patterns
Exercise also helps with cardiovascular health. Having MS puts a person at a higher risk for heart disease. Eating right and exercising can lower your risk for heart disease.
There is a free Exercise Log at the bottom of this post.
Types of Exercise for MS
MS takes away a lot including your physical, mental, and spiritual health. It is hard living with MS especially when your body doesn’t cooperate like it used to. This makes it too easy to avoid exercising but it is crucial to exercise.
You don’t need to do rigorous cardiovascular workouts to benefit from exercising. Keeping your body moving and flexible is the main objective. Here are some things you can do around your home to stay active.
Simple exercises you can do around your house:
- Cooking
- Gardening
- Go for a walk
- Household chores
- Massaging your muscles
- Practice lifting your knees while sitting
- Raking autumn leaves
- Ride a stationary bike while watching TV
- Stretching
- Taking the stairs
Other exercises include:
- Pilates
- Swimming
- Tai-chi
- Water aerobics
- Yoga
Make sure you are not sitting for hours, if needed, set a timer for every hour to remind yourself to get up. If you have a moderate or advanced disability it is still safe for you to exercise. If you can’t lift your legs use bands to lift them. Concentrating you are lifting your legs also helps, even if you’re only living them one inch.
Staying active is one of the best things you can do to manage your MS.
Staying Motivated to Exercise
We all make excuses for some reason or another. But making excuses to not exercise will only hurt you in the long run. Staying active and exercising is the best thing you can do to keep mobile and flexible with MS.
Don’t let fatigue stop you from exercising. Exercising creates more energy and boosts your spirits. Granted, you don’t want to overdo it with exercising but you need to get up and move.
If you need to, invite a friend to join you. Having a partner to exercise with is a great motivator.
While overexertion can cause a flare in symptoms this is not a permanent symptom. It’s known as a pseudo-exacerbation, it does not cause permanent damage.
OptimalBody Personal Fitness
My favorite exercise and one that keeps me motivated is an online gym for MS called OptimalBody Personal Fitness. Instead of weight equipment, it uses tension bands such as the: Resistance Bands Set
David Lyons is the owner, he also has MS so he knows from experience which exercises work. He has received various awards in health and fitness for MS. He also has over 40 years of experience in fitness.
David took his knowledge and created exercises to beat his MS. He then started training with private clients who had MS and saw tremendous results. Unfortunately, he became overbooked and didn’t have time for more clients.
That’s why he started OptimalBody Personal Fitness.
He chose resistance training because it is the best form of exercise for overcoming MS limitations. The exercises are for any level of MS including people in wheelchairs even if you’ve been in a chair for years.
He combines physical training with neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity helps train the brain to go around the MS damage.
The membership offers something no other MS exercise program does. That is the multiple training methods he developed over the years as a leading MS trainer.
The other MS programs out there are all good for functional exercises but functional training does NOT create what his program and training methods do, unfortunately. Yes, the exercise programs on the market are fun and get MSers moving but that is not enough to get past the limitations.
He has hundreds of testimonials on this training with tremendous success in helping people with MS. No other program can claim the results he has had over his many years with his program for MS.
There is even one-on-one training if you need extra help. Compared to other online gyms for MS it is extremely affordable.
OBP Fitness is offering a real program for MS by someone who has MS that challenges the body in a way no one else is challenging the MS community.
There is a free Exercise Log at the bottom of this post.
Taopatch for MS
Although Taopatch isn’t an exercise, it can help you with exercising. If you haven’t heard of Taopatch, it is a small patch you wear on your body that uses light therapy and acupuncture.
Taopatch is a nanotechnology device that combines light therapy with acupuncture. Depending on the acupoints it’s placed on, it’s been shown to help with posture, balance, pain, immunity, anxiety, athletic performance, MS, and much more.
I own six patches and wear five of them every day (two are on my feet for a liver detox). They help me lift my legs twice as high compared to not wearing them which helps me to exercise easier.
You can see me before wearing the patches and 10 minutes later in the videos below:
Best Exercise for MS
Exercise not only builds strong muscles it helps with many MS symptoms. Exercise is extremely important even if you are exercising from your chair. I found the best type of exercise for MS is using tension bands and following OBP Fitness.
Make sure you are safe while exercising. If your balance is an issue, exercise while holding onto a chair or sitting down. Avoid overheating if you are sensitive to heat, slow down and let your body cool down. Try exercising in the morning or later in the evening when temperatures are cooler. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
Listen to your body, if you need to take a day off then do it. With time you will start to see improvements which will help keep you motivated.
Exercise Log
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Photos courtesy of Pexels and Pixabay.
Best Exercise for MS
