Many of us went online for our fitness and wellbeing classes during lockdown.
And when restrictions eased, we returned to in-person sessions, forgetting the Zoom workouts and virtual classes.
But for some people, like Bev Malcolm from Perth, online workouts are a lifeline that continues to help.
Bev, 69, who has MS, discovered the benefits of exercise from an online wellbeing hub and hasn’t looked back.
She tells us:
- How her condition has changed her life
- The physical benefits exercise has brought
- How online classes have helped with isolation and loneliness
Bev has Primary Progressive MS and was diagnosed in 1994.
Over the years, she’s had to adapt as she experienced symptoms including fatigue, pain and changes in her mobility.
Her condition meant she had to eventually stop her work in a Perth opticians.
She says: “When I was still working full-time, I used to work, come home, have something to eat and then go to bed as I’d be so tired.
“It’s no kind of life.
Fatigue
“Fatigue is the biggest thing I think. You can take medication for the pain you’ve got, but you have to learn to manage your fatigue.
“Now I can’t do a lot of things – walking started getting difficult, if I do too much I get tired, so I’ve learned to plan ahead.
“You just have to adjust. There’s no point in moaning about it, you just have to get on with it.
“I have just got a walker now so that if I am going into the town I can use it to support me to walk even some of the High Street.
“You have to learn to listen to your body more.”
Staying active with MS
Although MS has put a lot of limitations on Bev’s life, she cites an online hub, run by MS Society, as a lifeline which has introduced her to exercise and wellbeing.
It offers hundreds of free online classes for people with MS and their families, and has just been extended throughout 2022.
She says: “It makes a difference, because you’re not as isolated.”
Bev has tried Tai Chi, yoga, Pilates, gentle movement classes and has also learned meditation.
She explains she can to go at her own pace and do what she can on the day.
Programmes are designed around chair-based exercise too and give the chance for her to use what she’s learned on days she finds herself stiff and sore.
Feelgood endorphins
“It helps me because it gets the endorphins going, gives me a reason to get up and do the class.
“It lifts your spirits and lifts you mentally and physically.
“You forget you have MS for that time because you’re doing the exercise – you don’t feel you’re not able.
“Movement is usually easier for me following even gentle exercise, which is great.
“I can carry on and do something else afterwards which I wouldn’t have been able to do without exercising.”
‘Having a laugh’
“But it isn’t just about exercise, there’s the wellbeing side, too.
“The meditation is good if I am feeling stressed or anxious or I can’t get to sleep.
“It helps me to calm down and get rid of all these busy thoughts that I don’t want.
“You forget you’re talking virtually because you are getting social interaction and you’re having a laugh.”
Bev, who also volunteers for her local MS Society branch says she’d recommend online classes to others with the condition.
Nicola Pollock, a fitness specialist at Body Morph Fitness who delivers the gentle movement class, explains how it can help.
Increase energy levels
“The exercises can help to reduce some of the impact of MS, for example by enhancing mobility, flexibility, balance, and strength,” she says.
“The sessions can also increase energy levels, help people maintain a healthy weight, and improve sleep.
“The social aspect of doing the online classes with other people in a similar situation has benefitted many of our participants.”
