Since Mrs. D. was way more helpful than I was, I tried to think of something so that you could still work out. Those were very good suggestions she gave you, BTW. Diet changes are very helpful while on Pred.

You need to optimize the time you can spend working out. To do that, you need to think about timing, length of workout and kind of workout. The best time to work out is earlier in the day when you have more strength. Or after you have rested.

You are probably like most guys who see working out as the nonstop, do anything and everything workout. Maybe you should revamp how you see that. You can do as much with less if you do an easier, shorter workout a couple times a day. Although, you should probably only start with once a day to see how you do! Maybe every other day.

This is going to sound almost painful to you, so I'm sorry about that. I have found three things to work for me with MG. One is a Total Gym. It's fluid, you can gain muscle strength and it does cardio to some degree. It costs money though, even the more commercial version. I love how it feels; it's like combining strength and dance almost. I used to dance.

Second is my recumbant bike. By isolating certain muscle groups on different days, I can keep from overdoing one or more of them. It's great for my legs and does give a good cardio/aerobic workout. You can add arm exercises while biking but with your odd heart rate thing going on, I wouldn't do too aerobics too much right now.

The third one will make you cringe: rubber bands. Those stretchy things with handles on them. Using them does not mean you are now a senior citizen! They are actually an easy way to gain strength in your arms. I don't know if you lift weights, but you should do less reps with MG (like 6 to 8 reps). And not so many sets of them, like only two or three. Sometimes I only do one.

Okay, so there is a 4th. I got the Body Blade a while ago. It is amazing how many muscle groups it works at one time. I wouldn't recommend it for you right now but it would make you feel like you have control over your body. It can literally strengthen muscles all over the body. Pretty amazing.

I know you are used to the "all out workout" but if you want to maintain your muscles and stay out of the ER, you need to think of working out differently.

Stay cool, with a fan blowing on you while doing anything. Stay hydrated, another way to keep your body cool. Have a snack and rest/nap afterwards. Everything you do you have to think about what it's doing to your MG. Pamper your MG.

And if you are still "feeling sorry" for yourself, go visit some quadrapalegic kids in a hospital. Put a scarf over your eyes and try to get around your world like people who are blind have to. Sometimes it actually does help to see how others, whom are worse off than you physically, get through their day. You have to get to that point where you accept your new reality and actually learn to embrace it and be okay with it.


Annie