Stay Active With The MS Competition - UK

Main Category: Multiple Sclerosis
Article Date: 17 Apr 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Regular, moderate exercise is now recognised as an important element in maintaining general health and well being.

In the past, people with MS were advised to avoid exertion. It was felt that as many people with MS experienced fatigue and found their symptoms worsened when hot, it was best to avoid activities that could be seen as tiring.

However, research has demonstrated that the reverse is true and that regular exercise has been shown to improve the condition and mood of people with MS at all levels of ability. It is therefore concerning that survey results continue to show that only around half of people with MS exercise regularly, often due to lack of opportunity or access to facilities.

To encourage more people with MS to take part in regular exercise, the MS Trust have launched Stay Active, a new section of our website. With over 50 activities, from angling to yoga, the Stay Active pages provide information about sports and other leisure activities and inspire people to try something new.

As well as a directory of sports and links to more leisurely activities such as gardening and photography, the pages include a 'Tried and Tested' section of personal experiences from people with MS for a number of sports.

To mark MS Awareness 2008, the MS Trust is running a competition!

If you have MS and you take part in a sport or other activity, here's your chance to spread the word! Write an article about your sporting activity (no more than 500 words) and send it to us before 31 May 2008. We'll publish a selection on the Stay Active pages and three people will win a Cool Zone vest (kindly donated by Jackson Technical Solutions Ltd http://www.jt-solutions.com).

To enter the competition, visit our website http://www.mstrust.org.uk.

About Multiple Sclerosis

MS affects approximately 85,000 people in the UK and two thirds of these are women. MS is most often diagnosed when people are in their 20s and 30s and is the most common neurological condition affecting young people.

In MS, damage or scarring occurs to the myelin sheath - a layer of fatty protein that protects the nerves in the same way that insulating material protects an electric wire. This damage disrupts the way in which nerve impulses are carried to and from the brain and leads to a range of symptoms, including fatigue, bladder and bowel problems, difficulties with walking and pain or abnormal sensations.

MS is a complex and unpredictable condition, which varies from person to person and does not follow a set pattern. Symptoms can come and go from day to day but there can also be relapses followed by periods of complete or partial remission.

About the MS Trust

The MS Trust is a charity which works with and for the 85,000 people in the UK with MS. Our vision is to enable people with MS to live their lives to the full. We provide:

- information that is tailored to what people want to know
- education for health professionals about what people with MS need
- research into better management of MS
- support for anyone affected by MS

MS Trust