The New Challenge by Lisa

Cathe has been a very positive part of my life for about 16 years. Through three kids, career changes, starting my own business, midlife, a bad marriage and subsequent divorce, single parenthood, a new life on my own and now – some new beginnings and new challenges – Cathe and working out has been a constant in my life and always a positive. Through her workouts I have remained fit, active, sane and able to have a lot of physical fun with friends, family and my sons.

Having been raised on a ranch, I grew up active and fit through constant outdoor activity, competitive horseback riding, skiing, softball and other activities. I never had a weight problem and because of my level of physical activity, never had to worry about what I ate – until college.

To make a long story short, I went to college, gained weight, went through graduate school, got married, had three kids in two years (one set of twins) and my life drastically changed. Once I discovered working out at home with Cathe, I was able to regain my fitness, get my weight under control and begin to enjoy teaching my boys to engage in and enjoy physical fitness. At 47, I still ski black diamonds (thanks to all the Cathe step workouts, my knees are in great shape!) and am in better shape than most my age.

However, my true success with Cathe begins with my new challenge.

About one month ago I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. While this is a devastating disease no matter what, to me it was that and more. My worst fear is that I will become disabled and not able to enjoy the physical activities with my friends and family. After the initial shock wore off and I became more educated about the disease, I became convinced that one way to fight this disease is through physical activity – a plan that is encouraged and supported by my neurologist and those who have lived with it for many years.

For the past few months, while my symptoms had me in and out of doctor’s offices and in a bit of turmoil, I did not work out much. In the past few weeks, I have gotten back to a more regular workout schedule and am doing very well managing my symptoms and keeping moving. I am experiencing the normal benefits from regular exercise – increased overall fitness, weight control, improved sleep, mood, attitude, energy and mental acuity, but even more now than ever, working out with Cathe is vital to my overall health.

MS is a neurological disease that often leads to disability through an unexplained process of the body’s immune system attacking itself. This attack causes damage to the neuro-pathways and causes various forms of disability – and is different in every person. In me, my right side is affected and my right leg and arm don’t always do what I want them to do. My balance is not the greatest and I often stumble or loose strength and coordination in my right leg and arm. The brain has an amazing ability to heal itself or at least compensate for damage and I am convinced that working out and keeping active helps my brain and neurological system heal or learn old tasks in new ways.

Working out to old Cathe tapes that I have had for 15 years allows my body and brain to do things that it inherently ‘remembers’ so that if my leg or arm are not functioning quite right, I don’t have to worry about learning new routines and I can keep moving. Working out from home allows me the reassuring privacy that if I stumble or trip, no one is watching and wondering if something is wrong with me. It also allows me the flexibility to vary my workouts based on how I am feeling on any given day. The increased energy level that comes from exercise and fitness helps to counteract the fatigue that is almost always present with MS. Experts claim that one of the ways to combat MS is to keep moving and keep your body strong and active, and working out allows me to do just that.

But more than anything, working out to Cathe gives me a feeling of accomplishment and control over my mind and my body. I feel as if I am not only doing things now for my physical health, but I am doing something for my neurological health. I may stumble, and my right side may not be as strong as it used to be, but if I work daily to keep my brain and my body active, maybe it will relearn a few things and I can regain the coordination and strength that have been lost. At the very least, I will delay or stop the ravages of this disease and live an active, healthy life.

MS is a disease that has no cure and for many is disabling – working out with Cathe gives me a way to fight back and have control over a disease that I will not allow to control me or ruin my life. Every day that I complete another Cathe workout is a personal victory over MS and another success!!!