My appreciation for physical fitness was conditioned through classical dance training from the age of 5. Because of the great impact that dance and music had on my childhood and teenage years – I ensured to maintain my passion for physical fitness as a member of a hip hop dance team while studying at California State University, Long Beach, auditioned and was accepted for the university’s Dance minor program, was a member of the on-campus fitness club, and even added step aerobics classes to my regular class schedules for credit. All in all, physical activity was heavily integrated in my daily life.
And then one day in 2000, I tripped.
While running on a treadmill.
In fact, I still remember the first thoughts that ran through my head: I never trip while running. What’s wrong with my legs? Why do I feel like I’m running as if I’m underwater – slow, with resistance?
And then the reality set in during July 2002, when I was diagnosed with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis at the tender age of 22. Young and naïve, the diagnosis explained why I had partially lost vision in my left eye and had sporadic tingling sensations at my fingertips. What I didn’t realize was just how much my life would change – physically, mentally, and emotionally…
From 22 to 24, I continued my active lifestyle as I trotted around in my stilettos as an Assistant Buyer in fashion, socialized with my girlfriends during the weekends, and traveled for good ol’ plain fun. I was a fun-loving single girl with an illness that was supposedly curbed by weekly self-administered injections. There was nothing that could stop me, right?
But like a screeching halt, all the innocent fun came to an alarming stop in the Fall of 2005. My second relapse with MS brought on a whole new set of symptoms, the most notable being my inability to walk independently. At the age of 25, I needed a cane to assist me while walking. Already reeling from the foreign feeling of the cane nestled in my right hand, it was a 1-2 punch for me to hear my neurologist’s nurse practitioner saying the words, “Be prepared. You’ll be in a wheelchair in the future.”
Flash forward to 2006.
Empowered and encouraged by my amazing newfound neurologist and the slew of treatments administered by awesome health professionals, I re-discovered the importance of paying attention to my body’s needs, observing and respecting my health issues, and finding a physical routine that supported my physical challenges.
Through the treatments and physical therapy, I successfully “re-learned” how to walk independently without a cane, but here was a new version of Reina: Almost twenty pounds heavier and under-exercised, the past physical prowess was replaced by shyness, fear, and ignorance of how to be fit again. Dance? Who, me? The most dancing I could do as of 2007 was to hobble from side to side.
But little by little, I re-introduced fitness to my life: spinning 10 minutes on the stationary bike at a time, lifting 3-lb. weights, taking yoga classes. And then, at a party, I reconnected with an old friend whose sideline gig was being a Pilates instructor.
And my life was forever changed!
She introduced me to exercise where the movements had elements reminiscent of my past balletic life, while giving me assistance to maintain my balance by means of a Reformer, a cadillac, a ladder barrel, and a chair. I fell in love with fitness again. I was re-born with Pilates. The excess weight slowly but surely fell off, and my confidence to workout again returned with a vengeance!
Seven years after my first private Pilates session, I am still an avid student of the art at John Garey Fitness and Pilates in Long Beach, CA. The warmth that radiates from the studio and its staff is incomparable. The studio boasts a diversified assortment of over 160 classes per week, reinforced by an instructor roster of skilled, friendly, and disciplined men and women that shine in their respective group classes, but excel all the more during their private training sessions. Under the leadership of fitness professional John Garey, the studio is a fitness jewel in Long Beach.
In fact, one of the special elements of the JGFP staff is that all of the Pilates instructors are certified in Injuries and Special Populations, and most work with clientele with specific physical needs (like me!). This level of specialized attention is invaluable and I would highly recommend the studio to those who crave training but need it ‘tweaked’ to meet certain physical needs.
Yes, I may not be the dancer I once was, but what I’ve overcome to get me to where I am today: all the physical ups and downs, the emotional and mental roller coasters on which I’ve been, the need to stay on top of my diet and exercise… I am proud of how far I’ve come.
Reina Magpale is a 35-year-old lady with a passion for beauty, fashion, caramel macchiatos, reading, and fitness. She enjoys spending time with her boyfriend Brian, her family, and friends. She has most recently discovered “Orange is the New Black” and can’t wait to finish Season 3. Most of all, she loves having the opportunity to share her personal MS story with the world, in the hopes of inspiring those affected by MS.
