Well the seasonal change is well upon us here in the U.K. Wherever you are in the world I’m sure those aches and pains, flares and fatigue come and go like the seasons that used to be so distinct. This time around on The Monthly Movement we call upon our own all weather Ninja Lizzie Smith, to give you a few words to fire up your week.
Hi guys Lizzie here…
Life with Crohn's Disease is like living a constant non-stop roller coaster of ups and down and unexpected twists. I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease at age 14, following many years of symptoms. It was a constant battle to achieve remission, with various medications and eventually bowel surgery in my early 20’s. Following surgery, after a few more ups and downs, I was given a new medication, a biologic called Infliximab. Alongside a cocktail (not a nice tasting one) of other medications, I was finally in REMISSION and “WOW” did I want to make the most of this new lease of life. My journey had begun.......
My remission MISSION was to increase awareness of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and use my energy to raise money for Crohn's & Colitis. The challenge involved completely monthly superhero based runs, 2 army based obstacle courses, Mudfest ( 25 mile run with 200 obstacles over 2 days), one of the hardest obstacle races in the UK, The Suffering Race where I qualified to represent the U.K in ‘Obstacle Racing’ and finally completing the first stage of SAS Selection Challenge in the Brecon Beacons.
To add to all this, I applied to take part in one of the hardest obstacles courses on TV, Ninja Warrior U.K. I completed a physical and the interview audition for the show ( wearing a wonder woman poop emoji outfit) and secured my slot on the TV show. I competed against some of the fittest individuals, and made it to the 4th obstacle before epically face planting the water. I felt extremely proud of myself and I received a lovely email from a parent of a child with Crohn's Disease who informed me that I had inspired her daughter. My mission to raise awareness was DONE.
During this time, I was able to be the MOST active I had ever been in my life and it felt amazing. As well as completing all of these activities I was also training most days which involved some sort of physical activity, whether this be spinning, running, boot camp or weight training. I still really struggled with my energy levels and would often need to catch up on A LOT of sleep in order to recharge. I also noticed when I was ready for my Infliximab treatment and over the year, I was beginning to burning out.
I was extremely aware of the changes that were happening and after the amazing year of fundraising came to an end, I tried to keep the momentum going by setting myself more challenges that would push me. A trend began to manifest itself, a decline in my training sessions, dropping out of activities last minute to an increase in symptoms and mentally/physically not being able to complete the tasks set. I had reached my peak and it wasn’t until I took part in a research project investigating fatigue in IBD when I finally realised I wasn’t ‘Respecting Remission’. I was trying to CONTROL remission.
I always try to explain it as imagine you have been out of your normal pattern in life for quite some time, either with a broken limb, muscle injury or severe case of flu. When you are well again you make up for the lost time be catching up. I was using remission to make up for all the time I had been unwell, I wanted to make the most of being well as I didn’t know how long this would last with a unpredictable disease. I was using adrenaline for my energy which is the wrong philosophy to have and goes against pacing and the spoons theory most of us with IBD have heard of before.
I had a considerable amount of time off from activity, when I did start back I tried so hard not to push my heart rate in to the red, not to burn out and push myself but I was unable to do this. This is when I discovered Yoga through a friend who had been through the same as me and introduced to a balanced approach to exercise.
Through yoga I have finally found a balance in life, I am able to complete 3 -5 sessions a week at my own pace and to the level I am feeling on that particular day. I am to complete a session at home in my own space but also attend regular hotpod yoga sessions that work around me. The heat helps with pain management, especially with scarring abdominal and allows me to sweat even more that I would at a spinning session, this helps me mentally as I feel like I am not having to exert myself to achieve a sweat. Every session involves a relaxation and this really helps me to wind down and tune in to my body both mentally and physically. I feel stronger in my muscles more than I have done before and my core stability is the best it has been. I can’t rave about the benefits of yoga for me in managing my physical activity in remission. I am finally respecting remission, I am in this for the long run, a train on a pleasant journey instead of that roller coaster.
Good luck
A massive thanks to U.C battler Russell Mount, for designing this awesome logo, for this exciting new feature. You can find more of Russell’s work on Instagram @mountmountmount
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Words: Lizzie Smith, Matt Strutt
Images: Lizzie Smith
Contributors: André Leitão Logo/Header Design: Russell Mount
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