It takes 2 to Tango but 3 to get me on an elliptical!

When I first started working out at the Y, I would work out with my husband.  Not along side of him but in the same general area.  I would primarily work out on the weight machines and I would try to get on the bike.  I could only ride the stationary bike for a few minutes the first time and I felt very awkward, like people were noticing and watching me.  Ofcourse, that wasn’t the case but I still felt like such a newbie, out of shape, overweight woman.  I was very embarrassed although I don’t think anybody knew but me but I still felt bad.  I would sit there on the bike and watch as people would get on for 30 or more minutes and here I am trying to get through 5 minutes and when I would get off, my legs would buckle and be very heavy and hard to move.  I felt like the whole room was looking at me, like I didn’t belong there.  

Our Y has this great program, the Ready to Be Fit program.  It’s in a small separate room off of the big Wellness Center.  You have to sign up for it, it’s free but you have to fill out a health form.  So one day, after some pushing from my husband, we both signed up for the program.  Now, he was way beyond me at that point and didn’t need the assistance that I needed but he was a sport and joined anyway.  My first meeting with my trainer, Danielle, was interesting, let’s say that, but interesting in a good way.  She was VERY nervous to work with me and I could tell.  I think I was the first person who has MS that she or even anyone at the Y had worked with to date.  But I do remember the best words of advice that she and Heather, the Wellness Director, gave me “Listen to your body, if your legs get tired, stop.  If you don’t feel well, stop.”  I remember thinking wait a minute, you’re supposed to be pushing me along not telling me it’s ok to stop if I get tired?  

Danielle put together a very aggressive work out schedule for me and I remember her saying to me, let’s take this slow, you don’t have to do all of this for the first time, you can build up to this.  Well, me being me, I had to do it all.  She had me on the bike on my arm days for over 20 minutes with the machine fluctuating in power the whole time then onto the weight machines.  Then on my leg days, she had me on the bike TWICE.  OMG.  Are you kidding me?  I just worked myself upto about 10-15 minutes on the lowest power and now you have me on it for 15 minutes, weights then back on for 18?  Is she crazy I thought? I can’t do this.  Well, guess what, I did and I did it for 4 days a week for months.  This is when weight started to come off and I felt great!  Yes, I was tired and there were days that I learned to listen to my body.  If I was too tired I would still go and even if I just rode the bike for a few minutes or got on that arm machine for 10 minutes, I learned that even the small steps are steps.  And just being in that environment is a change, a good change because I’m not home eating or watching TV and feeling bad about myself, I’m out doing something, I’m excersizing something I didn’t think I would ever be able to do again!  I said in my first blog how there is something special about this Y well there is.  It’s not just the people that work there that make you feel comfortable being there, it’s the people you meet while you are working out.  It’s the friendship you form not realizing it while you are working out.  It’s these relationships that keep me going back, even on my bad days because I look forward to seeing everyone, especially my two friends Rhonda and Ed.  They watched me and encouraged me everyday I would go and I would do the same for them.  I want to thank them for all of the support.  I wouldn’t have gotten through it without them!

Well after about 6 months of this program I was bored.  I had dropped about 50 lbs and felt great.  I wanted a change and was watching my friends and husband on the elliptical and kept asking if I could try it.  Danielle and Heather kept telling me when you are ready we will try because you see, I still didn’t have any feeling in my feet.  My feet were numb due to the MS so my balance was horrible.  My husband used to call my everyday walking ability my drunken sailor stupor.  Well that day finally came where the trainers felt I was ready and my balance had improved!  I was so embarrassed because I needed spotters.  Yep that’s right, I needed spotters to go on an elliptical  I had Heather on my left and Danielle on my right and I think it was Jesse or it could have been Laura (two other trainers there) behind me.  I was shocked that I could actually lift my legs to get on it never mind start it going!  I felt like everyone was watching me, probably in my mind but how weird it must have looked with three people spotting me!  I could only do it for 2 mins, my legs were exhausted because I was using different muscles in my legs that I hadn’t used in a long time.  I got off after 2 mins and they were all very proud of me.  I sat there for a few mins and rested and decided I wanted to try it again all by myself, this time with no spotters.  I got back on that day for another 2 mins!  I was so proud of myself.  I felt like I conquered this machine!  I can now go on it for a good 15-20 mins on good days, which lately there are more good days then bad!  Remember, I have MS it doesn’t have ME!  That’s always been my tag line but through the years, I have let the MS control me instead of me controlling it.  Now it’s time for me to take control!