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This past week I've been spending time with friends and family while enjoying the outdoors. My husband and I go out and look for shed antlers. First off it's great to get out and enjoy nature and breathe fresh air. Getting outdoors and soaking up the sunshine/vitamin D is important for immunity. Also shed hunting, as us Minnesotans call it, is great exercise. Walking through the woods or driving in a side-by-side and picking up the antlers, it felt great to be outdoors!

Arm training update... I do most of the same exercises with more focus on core engagement and stability! *** I always start with "self centering" This helps the brain with hand eye coordination and balance! (I have all my able-bodied clients do it too) (it's magic) Single Arm Shoulder Press 10 ×3 Lateral Raises 10 x3 Rows (narrow and wide) 10 x4 Skull Crushers 10 x4 Pushups AMRAP #curefa #neuromuscular #dowhatyoucan #whileyoucan #moveyourbody #fitness #workoutmotivation #mobilityaid

Hi y’all I’m Lilly Woods. I never let FA stop me from being a bad ass everyday! I spend my time reading Manga, drawing, painting, playing video games or dressing up and going out, my favorite color is purple. I’m a big fan of renaissance festivals, I dec out in full costume including my wheelchair. There is never a dull moment! I love traveling and seeing new places and trying new things. I just joined the Mito-POWER Gym foundation and I’m really excited to start and see were it takes me!💜

Parkinson's disease natural herbal formula. from aknni herbal centre the formula for has made a tremendous difference, the disease is totally reversed! (Visit w w w.aknniherbscentre .com)

My husband was diagnosed of Parkinsons disease 2 years ago, when he was 49. He had a stooped posture, tremors, right arm does not move and also a pulsating feeling in his body. He was placed on Senemet for 8 months and then Siferol was introduced and replaced the Senemet, during this time span he was also diagnosed with dementia. He started having hallucinations, lost touch with reality. Suspecting it was the medication I took him off the Siferol (with the doctor’s knowledge) and started him on PD natural herbal formula we ordered from AKANNI HERBAL CENTRE, his symptoms totally declined over a 3 weeks use of the AKANNI HERBAL Parkinsons disease natural herbal formula. He is now almost 51 and doing very well, the disease is totally reversed!  (Visit w w w.aknniherbscentre .com)

Tons and tons of practice and fails, but I AM UP! Floor to chair transfers have been a goal I've been working on for quite some time! Today I finally accomplished it! Set a goal for yourself and NEVER GIVE UP!! #mitopowergym #wheelchair #ataxiadefriedreich #ataxia #ftc @conqueringfa Feel free to reach out to me as I'm open for virtual personal training and nutrition sessions. DM me on Instagram @conqueringfa or email at kblonigen99@gmail.com

Writing my first blog post here, and I actually have a confession to make… I haven't been to an actual gym in over a year. Yes, I know. Since rolling into a gym, I've done inconsistent home workouts and physical therapy sessions. But all that is about to change as I’m now the newest Champion to join Mito-POWER gym! Let me introduce myself, I’m Adriana, I’m 23-years-old and I’m from Long Island, NY. I have a neuromuscular condition, Friedreich’s Ataxia, and am wheelchair-bound. Despite the challenges this disability has given me, I still went away, lived independently and graduated from Marist College in 2022. Two years later and I’m living at home while I work part-time and do the things I enjoy the most: reading, writing, and spending time with family and friends. What? Were you expecting me to also say “exercising?” It’s not that I don’t like to exercise, I actually feel great when I do! Due to both PT and Skyclarys (the first FDA approved drug treatment for FA), there has been slight improvement in my physical strength. I don’t think I would be able to see any improvement in the medication though if it weren’t for exercise. Often, I have gone to PT sessions and noticed my progress in exercises I couldn't do before. PT has unfortunately been inconsistent so now imagine if I was working out twice or three times a week with a trainer at the gym…maybe I could be looking at more improvement! So why haven’t I just gone to the gym myself? I used to. A lot in college actually. But I grew very self-conscious using and transferring onto workout machines myself. Whether or not people were looking at me, I felt so embarrassed because of the difficulty I had. That’s when I opted to stay home to exercise. I'm not challenged enough physically right now because I stick to the same exercise routines at home. I do the things I know, whether that’s doing bicep curls with dumbbells or leg stretches with a resistance band. This is why I am so excited about the program and having a trainer… I am ready to be challenged! FINALLY!! Hopefully this program will give me more confidence at the gym! It might even help me in writing as well, as this may not be the last time you’ll hear from me! So for now I’ll leave you with this: I have my own Motivational & Disability blog called PositivelyAdri, in which I share my journey with FA and just life in general. Check it out by clicking on the link if you’d like! I am super excited to be a part of the gym program and in support of a great foundation. I’m ready for you Mito-POWER Gym!!!

With a disease like Friedreich's Ataxia (FA), and really for any human, dieting is important. For me, it must be realistic, safe, and something I can commit to. If I see and feel immediate results, I can keep going and stay on track to work towards my goals. Over the years I've tried a handful of "fad" diets and have always seen results. However, when I would do those diets, I would constantly daydream about what I will be able to eat at the conclusion of the diet. All of the results that I saw quickly diminish and within two weeks, what I lost on a month long diet would come back and more! As of the last few months, I have kind of taken pieces from all of those diets and formed a plan that I can sustain and fight the fatigue that is a significant characteristic of FA. I am not suggesting that everyone with FA can or should do this, but for several reasons including increasing mobility and independence as well as to improve my cardiovascular function, I started to diet. With my goals in mind, I naturally lost 26 pounds since September of 2023. Now that the foundation has helped me to get back into the gym on a more routine basis, I hope to maintain and possibly add muscle and lose more fat. Below is a glimpse of what I eat on my daily basis. By eating like this, I am actually consuming twice as much food as before but it is better for the body. Breakfast: 3-4 eggs, 2 tablespoons nut butter, piece of fruit, cup (probably 2) of black coffee, water, and protein shake. Lunch: Can of tuna plain or with olive oil, carrots, hummus. Dinner: 6 ounces chicken, vegetables, potatoes. Dessert: Piece of dark chocolate, tea with honey. Little to no processed foods, sugars, or refined carbohydrates. I stopped drinking alcohol two months ago and try to eat within an 8-10 hour window but I'm not 100% focused on that. You could say it's a lazy approach to intermittent fasting (juggling work and family doesn't always allow this). I'll talk about all of these separately in future blogs but this is a start to explaining where I am now. Stay tuned!

Today was my first official day training with the Foundation's support. Some videos will be uploaded. Honestly, I feel a little rusty. But, we all have to start somewhere... Bench press was 105 pounds. Shoulder press was two 12 pound dumbbells. Curls were with two 12 pound dumbbells. 3 sets of 10 banded rows. 60 crunches. 3 sets leg press w/ manual resistance. Stretch hamstrings and quads. 3 unattractive transfers. 5 minutes on Ski Erg for cardio. During my time training, I hope to see those numbers increase. Not sure if there can be any dramatic muscle growth with FA, but maybe I'll regain some independence (and lose my pooch!).

I've been working out essentially since I was diagnosed. My parents signed me up to work with a trainer when I was 12. There have been times throughout the years when my commitment has wavered and that commitment was especially not upheld these past few years. Aside from my wife, children, and career that I was focusing on, I also had a handful of relatively major injuries and health issues that physically and mentally kept me from caring about or taking care of myself. In September of 2023, I felt like I was finally getting back to myself and believed it was time to start working on my fitness goals again; something I thought I had given up on. I'm not trying to look like a model or train like an elite athlete. I just want to be the best version of myself. In that effort, I was seeing videos on my Facebook feed of others in the Friedreich's Ataxia (FA) community that I knew posting videos of their workouts. The videos were posted by the Christopher J. Nercesian Foundation. Christopher, also someone diagnosed with FA, is the President & CEO of the organization, so I checked it out. The Foundation's focus on physical strength and mental well-being in the face of challenges that people like me face on a daily basis really spoke to me. When I go to the gym, there is very little I can safely do all by myself. If I could, I could just get a membership at any gym for a negligible monthly fee. For me, it is both imperative that I workout and that I do so with a trainer. The Foundation understands this and accepted me into their program where I will train twice per week with a trainer for three months and create content in video form and blog posts. I will be trained by Nick Normandin who has trained me off and on for the past 10 years or so. As an aside, I've known Nick for almost 20 and he used to swim laps in the pool at our college recreation center where I was a lifeguard. (Yes, I was a lifeguard. Yes, Nick N. was a tri-athlete. And yes, we both graduated.) Thank you to the Foundation, to Nick N., to my wife and kids, and to my PCAs. Work starts Friday. Let's go!

"It's not how you fall, it's how you get back up" 🎵 @pitbull really knew what he was talking about!! This is the normal for working out with Friedreichs Ataxia. I usually just cut out the clips of me tipping over. But in all reality, it helps my motivation. Yes, I fall. But…. I get back up and keep going! Everyone falls/fails at times. The important thing is that you get back up (wipe your tears) and KEEP GOING! #curefa #friedreichsataxia #ataxiadefriedreich #ataxiaawareness #ataxia #motivation #embracetheshake #keepgoing Feel free to reach out to me as I'm open for virtual personal training and nutrition sessions. DM me on Instagram @conqueringfa or email at kblonigen99@gmail.com

A strong core is important for everyone, but especially important for wheelchair users! Here I'm using a 20lb slam ball while sitting without a backrest. Next I'm practicing slow and controlled shoulder taps. Using my core to stabilize me and not tip over. Feel free to reach our to me via email at kblonigen99@gmail.com or dm me on Instagram @conqueringfa as I'm open for virtual personal training and nutrition sessions :)