By Michal Sakal, certified occupational therapist.
Although everyone knows that physical activity is important and beneficial for both body and mind, the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis can be significant obstacles that affect the general attitude towards physical activity.
Let’s list a number of challenges that may be barriers to physical activity and how they can be overcome.
I would like to start with exhaustion, which is one of the most common symptoms among those dealing with MS. Not only does it affect daily activities, it may also affect the desire and ability to participate in physical activities. People who suffer from exhaustion and participate in physical activity should be attentive to their body and respect the need for rest, even if this means resting more often, reducing the intensity of the workout or limiting the duration of the workout.
In addition to fatigue, people with MS often experience increased sensitivity to heat. Heat can come from the environment (especially in summer) or from an increase in body temperature, which occurs naturally with physical activity. Studies have shown that an increase of only 0.1 degrees in body temperature can affect both performance and recovery.
To enable maintaining a cool temperature during training, you can use cooling accessories around the wrists or neck, train in an air-conditioned area and make sure to drink very cold drinks.
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