IN STEP WITH ERNIE
Last week, I wrote about a grandmother who completed a walking marathon despite a variety of injuries as well as a dad who is getting back to work after a couple of operations left him in pain, overweight and depressed. I hope that you found them inspiring along with the client stories that I’m presenting today.
I met with one client briefly for a consult as well as a followup session for teaching and assigning homework. She has been living with MS for several years and is trying to improve her physical abilities, especially when walking. Our consult determined that she had large imbalances among the muscle groups in her lower body; making smooth, controlled movements difficult. To address this, I taught her a series of exercises she could do standing as well as lying, since most of the exercising that she had been doing had been from a seated position.
In her case, improvement will never be “linear” and experiencing ups and downs is to be expected — there will be victories and setbacks along the way to “betterment.”
Recently, I heard from her that she was having some real problems with one of her legs. Prior to that, however, she had sent me an email to let me know that her neurologist was quite surprised at how much stronger she was since starting to exercise. Her muscle rating went from a 1.5 to a 4 over 6 months and at that time she reported feeling strong and sometimes walking without any aids. Just setting out on this new course is a win for her in my books and experiencing positive feedback along the way is even greater.
In 2018, three other client successes that I was a part of included weddings. Specifically, they included the ability to dance at a wedding.
Another client who I’ve known for a couple of years has a hereditary condition that causes muscle spasms and weakness in her legs, making walking difficult. Last summer, she let me know that she went to a wedding at a hall that was not very accessible. Undeterred, she climbed 22 steps to get into the hall … 7 times during the evening … and even danced four times!
She was kind enough to mention that she could not have done it without her training and was excited to report that she has lost over 8 inches from her waist and 6 inches from her hips meaning that she was able to buy clothes at a women’s store that was not specifically for “plus sizes.”
A client with limited walking ability due to peripheral neuropathy let me know that, after several months of functional training, she surprised her family at a wedding where she got up and danced.
Finally, a client who has been working out for a few months to help alleviate pain from arthritis, strengthen his back and improve his overall functional capacity, has had a lower leg amputation and has experienced ups and downs with his exercise program. Determined to not give up, however, he bounces back after every setback and keeps moving forward. In November, he danced at his nephew’s wedding! According to his wife, it was the first time that he has danced in “decades” and something that she never thought she’d witness again in her lifetime. While they gave me credit for “the dance,” I give him all the credit. Watching him manage his flare-ups and setbacks and just keep going has become an inspiration to everyone that sees him come and go for his weekly sessions.
My client roster also includes many people training without any medical limitations who simply want to be leaner, stronger and fitter. They’ve done amazing things in 2018 including realizing athletic achievements, fat loss goals and strength gains.
They are all just people in our community that grew tired of their circumstances and decided to follow through with plans to get better. If they can do it, you can too.