The Best Exercise is the Kind You Enjoy

At a recent appointment with my neurologist, exercise came up. Not surprising as exercising is extremely important in managing multiple sclerosis.

I asked, “What is the best kind of exercise for MS?”

He said, “The best exercise is the one you enjoy doing and that you’ll do consistently.”

I’ve heard and read this advice before, and I love it. It really resonates with me, because I think it’s true for everyone, not just people living with MS. Movement is important, and you don’t have to feel pressure to do the “perfect” workout.

Sticking with a workout routine has always been a bit tough for me. I wish I was one of those people who could be so disciplined to do a workout every single day. My relationship to working out has ebbed and flowed over the years. I get on a good streak and make a ton of progress, but then something knocks my routine off balance. Usually, it’s travel or work. Sometimes, though, I just loose the motivation. I used to really beat myself up about this. Why was this so hard for me?

Before I was diagnosed, I had gotten into a pretty good yoga routine. I loved how it made me feel both relaxed and strong. It helped me focus on connecting my breath with movement. But my yoga routine changed when I started having trouble with balance – I was falling out of poses I had been able to do before and getting extremely frustrated. Looking back, I know these were the initial signs that something was wrong and that eventually led me to my MS diagnosis. I haven’t been able to totally recover my former yoga routine, but that’s ok. I’ve done a few classes here and there, when I feel ready and open to it.

From a movement and exercise perspective, I’ve been focusing on strengthening my hips and legs, all with the goal of improving my walking distance and to help alleviate pain in my hips. I go to physical therapy for this, and I absolutely love it. It feels really good to have a professional focused on me and my goals. And the best part is that they don’t mind me asking a million questions about why I’m doing this move or that move, or why my hip hurts or how moving in a certain way can make it feel better.

I also just recently got a membership to the Chicago public park field house across the street from my new apartment. It has a pool! I’ve always wanted to give swimming (for exercise) a try. I love swimming in the ocean and I’m super excited to have this option.

All of that to say: whether you have MS or not, my advice is to not put pressure on yourself to achieve the perfect, always-on-point workout routine. Do what makes you happy and makes you feel good. Any movement is good, and what you do today will only help you in the future.