Having an active lifestyle can lead to many benefits for adults living with multiple sclerosis, according to new research from Queen’s University.
Based on their study, researcher Amy Latimer-Cheung (School of Kinesiology and Health Studies) developed new exercise guidelines to prescribe for people with MS.
“The rate of MS in Canada is among the highest in the world,” said Dr. Latimer-Cheung, in a Queen’s University release. “Evidence indicates that engaging in exercise has the potential to improve and/or maintain functional ability, aerobic fitness, strength, fatigue and depression among people with MS. Unfortunately, many people with MS are physically inactive.”
Dr. Latimer-Cheung and her colleagues at McMaster University and the University of Illinois reached this conclusion after examining a wide range of research projects that studied the benefits of exercise for adults living with MS.
These studies, which tested how the effects of various exercises contributed to a number of important outcomes for participants, were combined with a strict expert review process to create the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults with MS.
“We identified the minimum amount of exercise and developed the guidelines from there,” said Dr. Latimer-Cheung. “We want to ensure people living with MS have a good quality of life.”
The Guidelines, which have been incorporated into the new MS Get Fit Toolkit, show that adults who have a mild to moderate disability require at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity two times per week as well as strength training activities two times per week.
The MS Get Fit Toolkit, which details how a person with MS can include “safe, appropriate and effective exercise in their daily routine”, and the Guidelines are being distributed by the MS Society of Canada and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology.
Dr. Latimer-Cheung is working with the MS Society of Canada, the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology and ParticipACTION to implement these new guidelines.
The MS Get Fit Toolkit can be downloaded as a pdf document here.
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Photo source: MS Get Fit Toolkit
