October 24, 2009

Let's get physical....

I'm feeling a bit bound up. No, haven't been taken hostage, or involved in some unusual nefarious activity...
I have an elastic band about my waist, holding a pedometer and an accelerometer - part of a physical activity study I'm in from the University of Oregon. It's a well-organized study so far - they are making me wear the machines for a week to establish baseline activity levels and I fully expect we shall be doing goal setting and all that based on these levels to help me increase activity. I'm familiar with the pattern, having created a pedometer-based walking program (or, rather, adapted an Australian one) for public health in Kingston that then spread across the province. It is funny to see it flip its way back to me.
There's a different aspect to this program, though. Whereas I had regular classes with my groups, in this study, they are linking us through SKYPE to counselors who presumably will advise us on how best to be physically active with our various MS challenges. Could be interesting. Already the webspace is filled with documents I haven't seen before, about stretching and exercise and MS. I am thrilled to be in contact with someone who MIGHT, presumably, know something about the disease and be able to guide me. It's been a long lonely struggle and I am tired of reading info in books and trying to figure out everything for myself.
And while I've made good use of "Patients Like Me" for information about various things, exercise doesn't seem to be a common topic. Either people are training for mountain climbing, or they are too immobilized to do much. What about those of us in the middle?
Hoping to learn ways to stay as healthy as possible....

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