How my MS diagnosis got me back into the gym

I left hospital with a working diagnosis on Wednesday 8 September 2021. I won’t go into too much detail about the following weeks. I’m sure you don’t want to re-live the weeks of tests, consultations and MRI scans. I spent the time adjusting and doing my research. And one theme kept cropping up - I needed to get more active.

I decided a key way would be to rejoin the gym. I could see all the previously cancelled memberships in the back of my mind…but this time was different, surely?

Almost cancelling…until I got some support

I joined the local leisure centre gym and on Monday 4 October, I laced up my trainers, got in the car and went for my first session back. I did my usual routine of cardio machine after cardio machine. I could already hear my inner voice talking me through the excuse I’d use when I inevitably cancelled.

I didn’t though. I needed some pointers. On my way out, I asked at reception about a personal trainer (PT) consultation. I’d need to speak to a PT but he was busy so I took myself back upstairs to the treadmill for a quick walk while I waited. When he was free we had a chat and I explained I’d just been diagnosed and needed to keep active. And that I’d appreciate some advice and pointers or even some PT sessions to make sure I didn’t overdo it. We agreed to meet the next day.

Back I went to have a chat with the guy. We sat down and discussed my goals and how often I could train. He mentioned that he’d looked into MS on the Monday evening and how he might be able to support me. I was floored, what a nice guy.

Discovering what motivates me

We decided to do a program that had me working out three days a week. Surprisingly, most of the time I’d be spending in the gym on those sessions was on weight machines, not cardio. It turns out this is where I was losing my motivation. Cardio, while some love it, I find boring. It serves a purpose but I can’t get excited about it.

I spent one day a week with the PT so I could use him as a sounding board, make sure I wasn’t overdoing it and ultimately was safe. We’d make adaptations like doing more exercises where I use both sides of my body to prevent my left side (my weaker side) from fatiguing too much. Or we’d use dumbbells that weren’t a match so 8kg in my right hand and 4 or 6kg in my left - not ideal in normal circumstances, but it’s the best thing for me.

The gym became my safe place

I know using a PT isn’t for everyone as it can be costly [read how to find low cost exercise options] but it was key for me finding my love for the gym. I never thought the words would leave my mouth but it became my safe place.

The gym was somewhere I could go and just be me for two hours, where the MS wasn’t all-consuming, I could shut off from the world.

It was a therapy, especially my days with the PT - I think it’s safe to say it became a therapy for us both.

We stopped working together last year as he was promoted and had less time to be on the gym floor but I’ve continued. Taking what he taught me and the knowledge I built to design my programs.

A friend described my MS as the best thing that could’ve happened to me - a strange choice of words, but for me it was true. Following my diagnosis and determination not to let MS control more of my life, I’d become the fittest, lightest and happiest I’d been in a long time, if not ever. The gym was to thank for that.

Setting new goals for myself

On 20 March 2022, just shy of four months after my official diagnosis, I ran a 5k at Heaton Park, Manchester. I smashed my training times and raised £796 for the MS Society in the process. I still try to run whenever I can.

Explore charity running events and help stop MS

I still go to the gym three times a week but I haven’t stopped there. I’ve bought a bike, and I regularly walk and hike when I can. I’m also now an avid archer, having joined a local club early last year. I’m still working on my form and getting arrows in the gold but there could, you never know, be Paralympic archery dreams for Brisbane 2032 (we’re keeping it realistic).