The MS Gym

WHAT IS NEUROPLASTICITY? If you have a neurological condition and wondering whether it is possible to get better or find relief…. IT IS ABSOLUTELY POSSIBLE. Your brain can change itself. Your brain can heal itself. You brain can learn how to counteract your symptoms. Once an area of your nervous system is damaged, your brain can access other neural pathways, learn to use those instead of the damaged ones, and eventually the “alternatives” become the preferred pathways to help you move better. Some powerful ways to improve your brain’s ability to change and learn – to become more ‘plastic’ – are the following: 1. Exercise – raises BDNF a chemical that improves your brain’s ability to learn. 2. Eat nutrient rich food and get enough water – raises BDNF and connects you to your food. 3. Sleep – lack of sleep raises cortisol which inhibits BDNF and suppresses neuroplasticity. 4. Reduce stress- stress elevates cortisol, cortisol decreases neuroplasticity. 5. Work on improving your mental health, spiritual health, and thought life – a healthier mind, spirit, and mindset directly affect your brain’s ability to heal. 6. Invest in healthy and rewarding relationships – toxic and draining relationships suppress brain activity and drain you of valuable energy. 7. Start something new: hobby, instrument, language, volunteer position – learning new things stimulates BDNF in your brain which improves your brain’s ability to change and be more changeable. 8. Serve others – changing your focus from yourself to others in need improves serotonin and dopamine which positively impact BDNF, lowers stress, and gives you a sense of purpose, meaning, and connection. #multiplesclerosis #movementismedicine #neurologicaldisorder #neurologicconditions #neuroplasticity #mswarrior #mssucks #mssymptoms

Exciting News!

So honored to get a shout out on today’s first episode of ‘Messy’ with Christina Applegate and Jamie Lynn Sigler ! For those of you first 👂hearing about us we encourage you to check out our free resources on YouTube ( just type in ‘the MS Gym’) , our free Facebook group with 30 k members and our website www.themsgym.com

Banded Crawling Let’s go old school. We are going to crawl. Crawling is one of the best exercises for strengthening the deep core and hip flexors. The alternating movement also simulates the cross patterning involved in walking. Therefore, we can use focused crawling to improve how we walk and run. When we add a band, that will help the brain find and connect with your hip flexors, deep abdominals, and the muscles of the intrinsic kinetic chain more effectively. As you crawl, move in a coordinated pattern on hands and knees, alternating arms and legs while engaging the core. Pause in between each step and make sure your abs are pulled up and you are using your shoulder muscles and hip muscles to crawl your body forward. I recommend doing 20 steps forward to work the lats, core, and hips and 20 steps back to activate your shoulders, spinal muscles, and glutes. Love this drill, it’s part of my pre-swim training routine. Hope you enjoy it too. *** If you would like to start counteracting your neurologic symptoms and rebuilding or improving your balance, TYPE “BALANCE” in the comments and I will DM you the link to your program. #multiplesclerosis #multiplesclerosiswarrior #chronicillness #neuroplasticity #disability #movementismedicine #mswarrior #mssymptoms #neurologicconditions

FOOT EXTERNAL ROTATION If you are someone who struggle with foot drop and a foot that turns in or flops to the inside, you NEED THIS DRILL. It is called a BANDED EXTERNAL ROTATION. Place a band around the middle of your foot and anchor the top of the band on your opposite thigh. You will then elevate your foot slightly off the ground. Then slowly rotate your foot to the outside or laterally using the muscles on the outer part of your lower leg. Pause slightly and feel the resistance of the band. Then slowly return to center. The resistance of the band will stimulate the ankle receptors and the peroneal muscles that will help to stabilize your ankle, center your foot, and dorsiflex your foot. The KEY to success in this drill is to move slowly on to the outside so your brain connects with the resistance band and then slowly back to center so you can improve your motor control in your ankle. This is a great drill that can really be done anywhere. Fun fact: I was practicing these while I was typing this text for you. Always practicing right? *** If you loved these exercises and would like to get my FREE Foot Drop Foundations program, TYPE “FOOT” in the comments and I will DM you the link to your program.. #multiplesclerosis #footdrop #chronicillness #movementismedicine #feet #mswarrior #mssucks #neurologicaldisorder #neurologicconditions #multiplesclerosiswarrior

Goblet Squat I’m going teach you how to do an awesome squat called a GOBLET SQUAT. The goblet squat is a beneficial exercise for my neurologic clients, as it improves squatting mechanics by positioning weight favorably to align the core and hips, reducing stress on the low back and knees. The exercise engages both the anterior and posterior kinetic chains, promoting strength and stability. The goblet squat can be performed with various weights (kettlebell, dumbbell, or medicine ball) and I recommended starting light and gradually increasing the weight as your motor control improves. I also recommend using a chair or box as a guide to help your brain feel secure during the movement. This will improve movement quality and help it feel more doable. As you do this movement, focus on the following: 1. Hold weight at chest and then squeeze your lat muscles (in your armpits). 2. Pull your abs in toward your spine to stabilize your spine. 3. Push your hips back and slowly lower your body toward your box or bench. 4. Pause at the bottom to allow your brain to find your glutes. 5. Stand up, push hips forward and lift your chest. The goblet squat will not only get your legs stronger but improve your balance, core strength, upper body strength, and muscular endurance. I recommend doing 8 - 12 repetitions, 2-3 sets, focusing on slow, controlled movements to enhance effectiveness and safety. This is a good one, enjoy! *** If you would like to start counteracting your neurologic symptoms and rebuilding or improving your balance, TYPE “BALANCE” in the comments and I will DM you the link to your program. #multiplesclerosis #neurologicaldisorder #chronicillness #movementismedicine #multiplesclerosiswarrior #mssucks #mssymptoms #neurologicconditions

BANDED FRONT ARM CIRCLES If you want to improve the way your shoulders move or reduce upper body pain / spasticity, you gotta move your shoulder joint. More specifically, you must activate the joint receptors inside your glenohumeral joint. One of the best ways to do this is to move your upper arm bone (humerus) in a 360 degree circle. As your shoulder gets better at moving and feels more confident in many joint angles, you will notice less stiffness, pain, and spasticity in not only your shoulder joint but your arm and possibly your mid back. When we add a resistance band to the movement, your brain can more effectively connect with your shoulder and also increase your shoulder joint strength. As you do this movement, move slow and use a small range of motion to begin. If you feel any pain, slow down or reduce the size of the circle you are creating. Move from your upper arm and try to keep you trunk stable with no twisting. This movement will help to reduce: - Shoulder pain - Neck pain - Upper body spasticity - Mid back pain - Loss of balance. Circle up and let’s go! #multiplesclerosis #movementismedicine #chronicillness #neurologicaldisorder #shouldersworkout

FARMERS CARRIES Let’s get STRONG! Farmer carries are an effective exercise for building core strength, cardio, and grip strength. By holding weights in each hand and walking slowly while maintaining stability, this exercise enhances spinal strength, abdominal strength, and overall balance. As you walk with the weights, your goal is to AVOID TIPPING SIDE TO SIDE. The goals is to walk in a smooth and controlled way that allows your entire body to get involved. The Farmer Carry keys to success are: 1. Grip the weights tight. 2. Lock your lats (squeeze your armpits). 3. Pull your abs toward your spine. 4. Push up through the top of your head (tall spine). 5. Walk slowly – pausing slightly in between each step. 6. Use your glutes to propel you. 7. Don’t hold your breath. I love this exercise. It has greatly improved my core strength, grip strength, and helped to reduce my low back pain significantly. Start with light two lighter weights that add up to 25% of your body weight and increase slowly and incrementally as your balance and control improve with practice. Once you get to carrying your ½ your body weight in each hand, you will enter beast mode! *** If you would like to start counteracting your neurologic symptoms and rebuilding or improving your balance, TYPE “BALANCE” in the comments and I will DM you the link to your program. #multiplesclerosis #chronicillness #neurologicaldisorder #multiplesclerosiswarrior #movementismedicine #mswarrior #mssucks #neurologicconditions

EYE CIRCLES This drill is a game changer and BALANCE BUILDER. Your visual system is responsible for bringing sensory information into your brain so it can be processed and turned into movement. Your eyes are surrounded by tiny muscles that play a role in almost every movement pattern you can think of. When our central nervous system is disrupted by neurologic conditions, often times the strength, endurance, and coordination of our eyes are also disrupted. This movement drill called EYE CIRCLES will help you regain movement in all 360 degrees of movement in your visual system and BOOST YOUR BALANCE. CAUTION: you must do these drills SUPER SLOW and with SMALL MOVEMENTS to start. Eye training requires a HUGE amount of energy and can be threatening to your brain at first. Therefore, please move slowly and use SMALL CIRCLES when first practicing these drills. If at any time you feel nauseous, anxious, light headed, or dizzy, stop, close your eyes and BREATHE slowly in an out for 20-30 seconds. Don’t freak out. This is TOTALLY NORMAL & COMMON. Just like the other muscles in your body, it will take some time for your eyes to improve their strength, endurance, and coordination. If you want more movement drills to improve your balance, type BALANCE in the comments below. #multiplesclerosis #movementismedicine #chronicillness #eyeexercise #multiplesclerosiswarrior #mswarrior #neurologicaldisorder #neurologicconditions

Hip CAR What do Cars do?... DRIVE you places. What do hip CARS do? MOVE you places. In this drill, you will be working on improving Joint Receptor function using C.A.R.s or Controlled Articular Rotations. Basically, moving your hip in a quarter circle. This is a higher mobility drill so if you cannot stand on one leg, that’s fine. We have TONS of other hip drills on this IG page. As you do this, move slow and focus on moving FROM YOUR HIP JOINT. Avoid arching your back, hiking your hip, or shrugging your shoulders. The goal here is to keep CONSTANT TENSION in your hip joint and the muscles surrounding the joint in order to improve movement mapping and motor control. The benefits of improving hip mobility: - Increased leg strength - Decreased hip pain - Decreased low back pain - Improved gait function - Better balance These have completely changed the way that my hip, legs, and low back function. Love them! *** If you would like to start counteracting your neurologic symptoms and rebuilding or improving your balance, TYPE “BALANCE” in the comments and I will DM you the link to your program. #multiplesclerosis #movementismedicine #neurologicaldisorder #mssucks #chronicillness #mswarrior #mssymptoms #multiplesclerosiswarrior

SA Chest press If you want to use strength training to effectively reduce your symptoms and improve your walking and movement during your activities of daily living, you must SIMULATE WALKING PATTERNS & BUILD STRENGTH AROUND THEM. The Staggered Stance Single arm CHEST PRESS is a powerful kinetic chain exercise that improves your ANTERIOR CHAIN which is responsible for pulling your body forward as your walk. We put your body in a walking stride position. We then have you stabilize your upper body. We then have your do a chest press with the OPPOSITE ARM from the leg that is forward. WHY?... because that is what happens when you walk. If your swing your right leg forward, your left arm swings forward and vice versa. This exercise is SUPER FUNCTIONAL and will help you balance and walk better. You just need to stay relaxed and stable throughout the entire movement. Continual practice of this drills will improve: - Walking balance - Fall prevention - Walking speed - Walking agility - ENERGY / ENDURANCE – due to improved efficiency - Spasticity Let’s train smart and specific Gymmer! *** If you would like to watch my MOVEMENT IS MEDICINE workshop I did at Weill Cornell MS Center, TYPE “MOVEMENT” in the comments and I will DM you the link to the presentation. #multiplesclerosis #chronicillness #movementismedicine #mssucks #neurologicaldisorder #mswarrior #mssymptoms

ROTATIONAL STEP & LEAN Do you struggle with falling or feeling like you are going to fall when you change directions or rotate your body? You are not alone. So many of my MS Gym members lose their balance when they suddenly change directions because something is in their way or rotate their body to perform an activity of daily living. This lack of coordination and balance comes from slow or disrupted signaling between the balance sensor in your cerebellum (small organ at the base of your brain). Poor rotational balance also comes from poor communication from the feet, ankles, knees, hips, and spine to your brain. How do you fix that? By training your brain and body to rotate better in a slow, safe, predictable, and low intensity simulation of ROTATING YOUR BODY. This movement drill called a ROTATIONAL STEP UP is a super effective drill that I practice at least 2-3 times per week to ensure my rotational centers are turned on and working. As you perform this drill, the keys to success are: 1. Pull your abs in, brace your core, and GET SET before you move. 2. Lift your foot first – then start rotating your body. 3. As you contact the step place your WHOLE FOOT on the surface. 4. Try to shift your body weight into the middle of your foot – not your toes. 5. Lean forward slowly – Pause when you feel comfortable. 6. Return to start by reversing the process slowly. 7. Reset your body position in between each repetition to cancel out any unwanted momentum. These stepping, leaning, and balancing drills are really effective and I recommend practicing these often to keep your cerebellum happy. Enjoy! *** If you would like to start counteracting your neurologic symptoms and rebuilding or improving your balance, TYPE “BALANCE” in the comments and I will DM you the link to your program. #multiplesclerosis #movementismedicine #multiplesclerosiswarrior #chronicillness #ms #mswarrior #mssymptoms #neurologicaldisorder