Kay’s Story: Kay is Stronger Than Ever
At age 42, mum of two Kay was leading her normal active lifestyle. Walking regularly with friends, and doing yoga were what made her happy, but then she started noticing some strange sensations. “It was initially a terrible shooting pain in my face, then five years later, parts of my body started feeling numb.” She also developed a slight limp when she’d been out walking. It was at this stage that she sought out a neurologist who identified her symptoms as MS (Multiple Sclerosis). Kay was in shock, “My children were 10 and 14 at the time, so they needed parents and they keep you busy at that time…When you think of MS you imagine you’re stuck in a chair, unable to move and you wonder when will that happen to me? It’s quite scary.”
It’s now been 20 years since her diagnosis and Kay has just marked her 1096th session at Curves. She started at Curves in 2007 going two to three times a week doing a combination of cardio, strength and resistance exercises. “With the help of hydraulic machines I can push as hard as I can while working every major muscle group in the body.”
Kay also credits a lot of her success to the wonderful staff at her local Curves club in Ashburton and particularly to her Curves Coach, Viv. “Nowadays I can hardly walk, and I use a walker to move around the gym. Viv and her staff help me lift my ‘concrete’ partly paralysed legs into place on the machines and make sure I work out safely.” She also appreciates the patience of her fellow Curves members at the club who understand that she takes a bit longer to move between and on the machines.
Kay hopes that she can inspire other people living with illness to persevere with their physical and mental health and encourages people to go to Curves. “Curves has definitely helped slow the progression of my MS, it has improved my strength and kept me as mobile as possible. A disease like this has a lot of grief with it; you know, it’s really tough. I allow myself to cry at times but all the fitness keeps me much more positive and you see a very kind side of life.”
Your Curves Coach is there to lead you through every gym workout. With your Curves Coach success is within reach. Visit ‘Why Curves‘ to find out more about Curves women’s only gyms and our full body workout on the Curves Circuit, or find your local Curves and sign up today!
