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BARRE3 JOURNEY: FROM A SCARY DIAGNOSIS TO MY STRONGEST SELF
Amy’s barre3 journey is unique in that it has not one, but two beginnings. She first stepped into our Portland Pearl studio in spring 2010, with the goal of getting in shape to go rafting in the Grand Canyon for her husband’s birthday. Instantly hooked, she kept at it over the next five months and the raft trip turned out to be a grand success. But that’s when life as she knew it shifted.
The next time Amy came back to class in 2015, it was for very different reasons and with a very real diagnosis. She started all over again, and today, is here to tell us about her journey. Read Amy’s story in her own words, and check out her video at the end!
We had an absolutely fantastic time in the Grand Canyon back in 2010. And on top of it, the boutique law firm I’d formed with my colleagues was finally past that start-up phase where everything is crazy. I had this great company, we were off to a great start, and we’d taken this amazing trip—but about six weeks after we returned, I started having horrible vertigo. At first my doctor thought it was an ear infection, but it didn’t get better. I vividly member going to a class one morning and leaving it knowing something was off. I called my doctor who told me to go to the ER, where I could get an MRI. That’s when they told me that I had multiple sclerosis. It was four days after my 42nd birthday.
It was a shock. It’s hard to absorb all at once and impossible to perceive how it will change everything. I have the most common form, relapse remitting MS, where you have an attack, then you recover, then you have an attack, and so on. They put me on medication to slow the disease’s progression and I was very focused. You know, I was the lawyer, so I had my checklists and was dealing with insurance and finding rides to school for our son because I couldn’t drive. I was going through all these hoops when a six-week check-up right around Thanksgiving revealed that my liver was in crisis. I stopped the medication, but my liver kept getting worse. I ended up having a biopsy and just as my neurologist was suggesting we hop in the car and drive down to Stanford to check in to the hospital (we were struggling to find a liver specialist in Portland due to the holiday), my liver finally started healing. Luckily, there is one MS medication that doesn’t cause liver complications. I’ve been on it ever since and haven’t had any more relapses, but I was frustrated that my treatment options were so limited.
That’s really when I started to focus on wellness and doing everything else I could to be as healthy as possible. What did I have to lose?
I did a lot of reading and research, and based on what I learned, adopted a diet low in saturated fats, high in fish and other sources of omega-3 fatty acids. It’s challenging, but there are a lot of good barre3 recipes that fit. I was working less, and I began meditating to reduce stress. After about two years of this, I decided that I needed more exercise, especially as I learned about exercise’s benefits for brain health. I remembered barre3 and how much I’d loved doing it.
I got the all-clear from my neurologist and started going again. It was so liberating and the presence of the barre meant I could easily adapt and still build up strength. I usually go every other day. Over the course of two years now, I wish there were some benchmark to access how weak I was then, even just as a 47-year-old person—let alone someone who has MS. I now have better aerobic endurance. I notice how much easier it is for me to go up stairs, and my ability to sit upright and stand up straight. That’s the core and glute strength that I really feel.
At the same time, the stamina needed for my profession was waning. As a disease of the central nervous system, MS affects the brain, which means that the universe of possible symptoms is vast, while each individual’s constellation of symptoms is uniquely personal. For me, it has damaged my vision and my cognitive stamina. I’m someone who’s always excelled academically and relied heavily on my brain—my ability to write, my math skills. I’m a tax lawyer, but I was never an athlete or someone who found pleasure in a lot of daily physical activity. But barre3 absolutely provided that for me. At a time when I was looking for positive reinforcement and a counterweight to losses, it gave me confidence and such a mood boost. Every day I come back home from class, I feel like I’ve learned something new. And, of course, I have.
Ready to start your own barre3 Journey? Sign up for a studio class or press play to an online workout today!
Amy’s barre3 journey is unique in that it has not one, but two beginnings. She first stepped into our Portland Pearl studio in spring 2010, with the goal of getting in shape to go rafting in the Grand Canyon for her husband’s birthday. Instantly hooked, she kept at it over the next five months and the raft trip turned out to be a grand success. But that’s when life as she knew it shifted.
The next time Amy came back to class in 2015, it was for very different reasons and with a very real diagnosis. She started all over again, and today, is here to tell us about her journey. Read Amy’s story in her own words, and check out her video at the end!
We had an absolutely fantastic time in the Grand Canyon back in 2010. And on top of it, the boutique law firm I’d formed with my colleagues was finally past that start-up phase where everything is crazy. I had this great company, we were off to a great start, and we’d taken this amazing trip—but about six weeks after we returned, I started having horrible vertigo. At first my doctor thought it was an ear infection, but it didn’t get better. I vividly member going to a class one morning and leaving it knowing something was off. I called my doctor who told me to go to the ER, where I could get an MRI. That’s when they told me that I had multiple sclerosis. It was four days after my 42nd birthday.
It was a shock. It’s hard to absorb all at once and impossible to perceive how it will change everything. I have the most common form, relapse remitting MS, where you have an attack, then you recover, then you have an attack, and so on. They put me on medication to slow the disease’s progression and I was very focused. You know, I was the lawyer, so I had my checklists and was dealing with insurance and finding rides to school for our son because I couldn’t drive. I was going through all these hoops when a six-week check-up right around Thanksgiving revealed that my liver was in crisis. I stopped the medication, but my liver kept getting worse. I ended up having a biopsy and just as my neurologist was suggesting we hop in the car and drive down to Stanford to check in to the hospital (we were struggling to find a liver specialist in Portland due to the holiday), my liver finally started healing. Luckily, there is one MS medication that doesn’t cause liver complications. I’ve been on it ever since and haven’t had any more relapses, but I was frustrated that my treatment options were so limited.
That’s really when I started to focus on wellness and doing everything else I could to be as healthy as possible. What did I have to lose?
I did a lot of reading and research, and based on what I learned, adopted a diet low in saturated fats, high in fish and other sources of omega-3 fatty acids. It’s challenging, but there are a lot of good barre3 recipes that fit. I was working less, and I began meditating to reduce stress. After about two years of this, I decided that I needed more exercise, especially as I learned about exercise’s benefits for brain health. I remembered barre3 and how much I’d loved doing it.
I got the all-clear from my neurologist and started going again. It was so liberating and the presence of the barre meant I could easily adapt and still build up strength. I usually go every other day. Over the course of two years now, I wish there were some benchmark to access how weak I was then, even just as a 47-year-old person—let alone someone who has MS. I now have better aerobic endurance. I notice how much easier it is for me to go up stairs, and my ability to sit upright and stand up straight. That’s the core and glute strength that I really feel.
At the same time, the stamina needed for my profession was waning. As a disease of the central nervous system, MS affects the brain, which means that the universe of possible symptoms is vast, while each individual’s constellation of symptoms is uniquely personal. For me, it has damaged my vision and my cognitive stamina. I’m someone who’s always excelled academically and relied heavily on my brain—my ability to write, my math skills. I’m a tax lawyer, but I was never an athlete or someone who found pleasure in a lot of daily physical activity. But barre3 absolutely provided that for me. At a time when I was looking for positive reinforcement and a counterweight to losses, it gave me confidence and such a mood boost. Every day I come back home from class, I feel like I’ve learned something new. And, of course, I have.
Ready to start your own barre3 Journey? Sign up for a studio class or press play to an online workout today!
