3 DANGERS AND 4 BENEFITS OF PHYSICAL EXERCISES FOR MS

For quite a long time, it was thought that exercising was dangerous for people diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis as it could exacerbates their symptoms. Now Physical Exercise is the ONE lifestyle factor that even doctors, and neurologists agree on and advise to their patients (which is sadly not the case for nutrition, mindfulness or other alternative therapies…). As always, where is the truth in all this? What type of exercises are we talking about? What should we do? How often? Is everything really safe? I will give you again my favourite answer… it depends. FIRST RULE: the best physical activity for you is the one you enjoy. To find out what you enjoy, simply reflect on what you used to do as a child, how you used to have fun, and then do more of this, while being aware and integrating the 3 possible dangers of exercises and the 4 main benefits. But before diving in, let me give you a little definition of physical exercises and movements which are both as important. Physical exercises: Any physical activity that is planned, scheduled, organized: Going to the gym, attending a class, a weekly run with friends. Movement: Any bodily movement that can be intentional or unintentional. Physical exercises are a part of it, but it is also walking from one room to another, gardening and even lifting your arm to drink a glass of water.

THE 3 POSSIBLE DANGER OF EXERCISES

1 – Risk of fall and injuries is the main danger that comes to mind, especially when facing balance or coordination issues with MS. Safety and precaution needs to be thought as number one, prior starting any physical activity. Know your limitations and work with them, not against. Pushing too hard to the point of creating injuries, even minor, will increase the stress on the body and work against the benefits that we are looking for in the first place. A lot of works (much more than what we think) can luckily be done while sitting, lying on the floor, standing with aid. This might mean as well clearing the space of any hazards before starting the activity, getting the right equipment, props…

2- Overdoing it is a massive risk as well. Because we hear that exercising is good for our health, we might start to go to the gym every day for 3 hours in a row. Sweating hard, lifting hard… Though it might not feel painful or difficult on the moment for some, exercising creates a stress on the body. About stress and inflammation: Any exercises or movement will create a stress on the body. Not all stress is bad, and it is the purpose of the exercises to create just enough necessary stress and inflammation, to then build resistance and resilience. What is bad is permanent or chronic stress, which is what “overdoing it” creates… understanding this also lead us to the 3rd possible danger…

3- Not allowing time to rest… The magic of exercising is not exactly in the stress that it creates on the moment. Though this stress or inflammation on the muscles or organs is necessary, it is when we are resting that the body rebuild, repair, get stronger. The “rest time” around the exercises is as important as the exercise itself. This does not mean going for an hour nap for every hour of exercise, but it means allowing time to slow down for a walk after a run, to stretch after weightlifting and taking it easy the rest of the day. To sum up… not too much, not too little, just right… will say Goldilocks.

THE 4 BENEFITS OF EXERCISES

1- Rebuild, repair, regrowth, regenerate… Following what we already describe above, when exercise is done just right, our cells move into repair mode. When we are at rest, and in response to the stress and inflammation created, they will make the body, muscles, and organs stronger, more resistant and more resilient. This happens not only at the place of the exercise but all over the body, and even in the brain. When exercising, the body secrete molecules called BDNF (Brain derived neurotrophic factor) which plays an important role in growth and protections of the cells in the brain. So yes, when we exercise, we are building new or consolidating existing neurons and nerve pathways.

2- Brain training is the next logical step of the repair and regrowth benefits of exercise. We are simply training the brain to perform new skills. This is what we call Neuroplasticity. The brain is not static. It is not something we acquire when we are born, that grows until 20 years old and then just stays the same or declines. It keeps changing all our life and we can act on it. One of the way is through exercising. The structure, form and shape of the brain change while we are performing a new movement. Whatever we train in the body, we train in the brain.

3- Lifting and enhancing mood is one of the biggest benefits of exercising. If there was one drug available to all for free to fight depression or anxiety, exercise would be the one. While moving and exercising, the body simply releases happy and feel-good hormones or neurotransmitters like endorphins, dopamine and serotonin…

4- Removing toxins… This one is my favourite and one that we do not always think about. Firstly, we remove toxins from our body through the action of sweating. The skin is our largest organ. But sweating is not the only way to remove toxins. We have 2 circulations systems in the body: the blood system and the lymphatic system. The blood is what provide to the body (oxygen, nutrients) and the lymphatic system is what we could call “the sewage system” of the body. The lymph nodes can get blocked, and the toxins got stuck. While the blood system has a pump to get activated (the heart), the lymphatic system does not. To get the lymphatic system to move, we have to… well… move. It is indeed activated by the pressure and contraction of the muscles in movement. Finally, movement also activate the Vagus Nerve, which is the major communication highway of the body, flowing from our brain to the bottom of our spine and irrigating all our organs and systems in the body. Many chemicals and signals (and toxins) are taking this highway, so much that the traffic can get jammed and needs help to get moving again. Bottom line, don't hurt yourself but keep moving!