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That being said, after a recent visit to a I know I am still winning if I get up one
physical therapist, I have started to time more than I have fallen.
implement some basic moves to
maintain and perhaps improve my DL: How did you stay motivated to
balance and gait and, I hope, prevent continue your program as a
falls. competitor?
RELATED: Exercises to Improve DMG: I felt great whenever I was
Balance for People With Multiple working out and when I was finished. I
Sclerosis liken working out to my healthy
addiction.
DL: What was the biggest challenge in
your workouts? DL: Have you altered your diet and
nutrition regimen since developing
DMG: Remembering to focus on what MS?
I can do. No longer can I deadlift and
squat 230 percent of my weight or DMG: Yes, shortly after 2002, when I
travel up and down ramps performing began competing in NPC shows. I
walking lunges, but that is easier to soon realized that we (competitors
accept than the smaller stuff. For and people with MS) are not all
example, I cannot properly execute a cookie-cutter cases. Unlike the
jumping jack, run, or even jog in place. majority of competitors, I had to eat
more and work out less, especially
Besides my ego, my biggest challenges cardio, for optimal results.
in my workouts are overheating,
fatigue, and the notorious MS shaky At the time, I had not yet met a trainer
leg. To manage these, I take my time, with a true passion for training people
never sweat, and don’t lift more than with MS, so I studied and became a
50 percent of my maximum abilities. certified personal trainer. A large part
of my current diet habits were
Since I am not restricted to a work developed then and tweaked over the
schedule, I take as much time as I years. I was a vegetarian for more
need to complete a good workout. than eight years, but now I am a full-
fledged carnivore. I am always well
DL: Are there any times when you hydrated, and I follow a diet that is
want to quit or give up? low in saturated fats and processed
sugar, high in fiber, and with minimal
DMG: No. Quitting is not an option. I dairy.
fall down, literally and figuratively, but
