MS & Adaptive Rowing - An Exercise Update!

I keep waiting for my love affair with indoor rowing to come to an end. I've been in the ExPD (Exercise for Persons with Disabilities) program at Spaulding Rehabilitation for just under two years now. At first, I was reluctant to push too hard for fear of bringing on an exacerbation. Slowly, slowly, slowly, I began to increase my total rowing time from 6 minutes to 45 minutes each session. I row an average of three days a week for a total of 3.5 miles a week.  I have been seeing my neurologist every four months and honestly the news is rarely all that positive. There is so little that the medical community can do for people who have secondary progressive MS.

I was feeling a little frustrated about six months ago and just went all out and exercised to complete fatigue. I am glad that I did. I have grown tired of worrying about what tomorrow will bring. I exercise hard, get plenty of rest, and follow a well-balanced diet. I have greater endurance and increased upper-body strength for having followed this regiment.

My rowing buddies, as I have come to refer to them as, have MS, are spinal cord injured, or have other conditions that make exercising in a regular gym setting challenging. My friend Troy who is in the program, was kind enough to let me video him. Troy has a spinal cord injury and has been rowing for over two years. Take a look at the following video and let me know what you think about the program!

The people I exercise with continue to inspire and motivate me.

Here's to finding your inspiration,

Limitless Lizzie