Health and Fitness
A balanced diet, regular exercise and other healthy changes to your lifestyle can give you more strength, energy and confidence in managing your MS. This section of the web site is chock full of ideas to help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) stay healthy and fit.
Start Taking an Active Role
Don't wait to start adopting more healthy habits. Set some goals for yourself now, such as:
Eat right.
A low-fat, balanced diet can give you energy. Cut back or eliminate the junk food and add more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Consult with your doctor about changing your diet.
Read about how exercise may improve your problems with fatigue, as well as increase your overall energy level. Check with your doctor or physical therapist about developing an exercise program that’s right for you.
Quit smoking.
Smoking strains your lungs, making fatigue worse and compounding the effects of MS. If you do smoke, ask your doctor or local cancer society for tips on how to quit.
Exercise and MS
Exercise is essential for good health, whether you have multiple sclerosis (MS) or not. If you do have MS, exercise can be more challenging yet also more important. Many studies have shown the benefits of exercise to people with multiple sclerosis, including:
Improved cardiovascular fitness
Increased strength
Better bladder and bowel function
Less fatigue and depression
More positive attitude
More participation in social activities
In contrast, people with multiple sclerosis who are not physically active show an increase in risk factors, such as heart disease, muscle weakness and bone fractures.
What Type of Exercise Should I Do?
Your exercise program should be based on your unique needs, such as progression of your multiple sclerosis, severity of your symptoms and other factors. Talk to your doctor. He or she may refer you to a physical therapist who specializes in the unique symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Here are some types of exercises you may want to consider as part of your therapy program.
Water Exercises
Water is an ideal environment for exercising your weakened limbs and muscles. The reduced gravity and added buoyancy of water allows for more range of motion and flexibility than you could get on land. Water also provides a cooling effect, which can prevent overheating, often a cause of temporary worsening in multiple sclerosis.
Some swimming pools have wheelchairs that can got into the pool. This will allow those of you who are wheelchair bound to take part in water exercises. Phone your local pools and find out which ones supply ‘pool chairs’.
Some MS Societies provide free water exercises / aquasizes to their members. Remember membership is free in most regions.
Yoga
Yoga is a type of exercise, but it's different from sports like football or running. When you do yoga, you move your body into positions that stretch your muscles and joints and make them stronger.
Yoga also helps to reduce stress. Yoga students with multiple sclerosis have often reported that, after practicing yoga, they are more relaxed and that many times, the severity of their symptoms is reduced. They are able to feel more in their feet and legs, and are able to move their legs more easily.
Some of the ways yoga can help you relax include:
Repetitive movement done during the poses, and the steady, even breathing induces relaxation response
Many of the postures, such as forward bends and inversions have a calming effect
Yoga postures release muscular tension through stretching, and this relaxes the body and mind
The nerves are massaged and stretched during yoga, releasing tension, and increasing the ability of the nerves to communicate to the muscles and other parts of the body
Ask your doctor or physical therapist about aquatics, yoga, or exercises. A good exercise program can help ease your MS symptoms and should be part of any MS treatment program.