The idea that exercise is beneficial and may help prevent certain diseases is not new. The American Heart Association and other health organizations recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate exercise five times a week to reduce risk of disease associated with inactivity. However, the most common symptoms of MS–fatigue, depression, sensitivity to overheating, and loss of mobility–can greatly impact a person’s ability to adopt and maintain a healthy exercise routine.
A recent paper, co-authored by Dr. Timothy Vollmer, MS Center medical director, explores barriers to exercise and strategies to overcome them. The paper, “Exercise as Prescriptive Therapy in Multiple Sclerosis,” published in the International Journal of MS Care, argues that exercise should be more deeply integrated into a person’s health care program, starting with their healthcare providers.
As the paper explains, there are many benefits to exercise, more than just losing weight or lowering your blood pressure. For people with MS, studies show that exercise can play a critical role in improving:
- quality of life
- mobility (including walking, transfers, maintaining body position, and balance)
- walking ability
- cognitive function in older adults, especially higher order functioning that requires planning and coordination
- cognitive processing speed
- working memory and conceptual thinking
- cognitive reserve, or the ability to overcome damage within the brain
- symptoms such as fatigue, depression, and anxiety[/su_list]
While the evidence shows that exercise is particularly beneficial for people with MS, studies suggest that people with MS remain less active than the general population. Some of the most commonly cited obstacles include enjoyment; impairment; self-confidence; and symptoms of MS, including fatigue, depression, pain, weakness. So how does someone living with MS overcome these obstacles and fully integrate an active lifestyle into their lives?
The first step is meeting with a healthcare professional. While it’s standard practice to discuss a new exercise program with a doctor, for a person with MS this step is even more important. Not only do heart and lung functions need to be assessed, but a functional assessment of current abilities followed by a detailed examination of impairments in body structure/function should be completed as well. This will help your healthcare provider better understand what your specific limitations and needs are so that together you can create an individualized exercise program.
Another key factor in successfully integrating exercise into your lifestyle is the use of specific behavioral strategies. Some examples of behavioral strategies include:
- Setting specific exercise goals that include types of exercise, timing, frequency, duration, and intensity
- Writing down the goals in the way of a contract
- Devising ways to self-monitor progress
- Planning follow up with healthcare professional for feedback about progress
- Using environmental cues and reminders to exercise
- Receiving rewards for successful exercising
- Using a personal trainer[/su_list]
There is little evidence to support a specific exercise program for people with MS, so it’s important to pick something that you will enjoy. Whatever program or routine you and your doctor decide on, start off the new program gradually, and build your confidence. Try to incorporate resistance (strength) and aerobic exercises. Resistance training could include training machines, free weights and elastic bands. Aerobic training could consist of walking, bicycling, rowing machines, or swimming. It is recommended that people with MS perform resistance and aerobic training sessions every other day, for 10-40 minutes allotted for each session, with a recovery period of 24-48 hours before the next session begins.