Raising Awareness

As you know I try to do all I can to raise awareness of MS, Life with MS and MS in young people.

Over the past two weeks i've been fortunate enough to be part of some amazing projects and experiences allowing me to spread the positivity and MS love... not literally.. I make it sound contagious!

The first was the opportunity to film with a production company who, like me, are also trying to raise awareness and break down the barriers between MSers and the general public, doctors and even neurologists.

We had SUCH an amazing day filming at my house and then went on to David Lloyd to film part of a training session with my PT - Antony.

Not gonna lie, I felt like a bit of a celeb... a celeb with MS, a celeb with MS and a Nemo arm, a celeb with MS, a Nemo arm and injection bruises...

ok so NOT so much of a celeb but STILL..I had a fab day and the crew and staff at DL were just lovely.

Apparently, it's going to be shown at a neurology conference in October and will also be used by an american production company...

Only a matter of time before I make my big move STATE SIDE in an attempt to crack America!

(getting slightly ahead of myself?... yah) WATCH THIS SPACE

The next exciting thing to happen in the life of Paula was this.... 

An invitation to THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
By Mr Mike Freer himself (Local MP for Finchley and Golders Green)

Excited much? Apparently he had seen my article in the Times about the MS Cake Break and fundraiser I hosted with Rhiannon back in April...

*cough* RAISING A RECORD BREAKING AMOUNT *cough*

which you can read if you click.... here :)

SO...dressed in our snazziest outfits Rhi and I made our way down to the House of Commons. After what seemed like an HOUR trying to figure out how to get into the place we made it!
IT.WAS.AMAZING

(please excuse my tired appearance, I was momentarily taking a break from helping my friend give birth as of 7am.... obvs NOTHING was going to stop me making this appointment at the HOC! )

Mr Freer treated us to a tea and scone in a room looking over the Thames with some stunning views! He then gave us a tour of the building which felt more like a palace from the inside!!

On a serious note though it was SO encouraging to have our fundraising efforts recognised. I will never ever stop raising awareness and hosting fundraisers so to have the backing and recognition from such influential people really makes such a difference and is yet another motivational boost.

And there it it.... my day at the House of Commons in pictures.

until next time, P xx

A little inspiration from Hannah Barrett - X Factor

"We're all wonderful, wonderful people
So when did we all get so fearful?
And now we're finally finding our voices
Just take a chance, come help me sing this
I wanna sing, I wanna shout
I wanna scream 'til the words dry out
So put it in all of the papers,
I'm not afraid
They can read all about it"

We all love a bit of an X Factor sob story..but when I watched Hannah Barrett's audition, I was so encouraged by her attitude. Its empowering. She carries a sense of vulnerability around with her but has taught herself to be strong. It's clear to see that she has been faced with difficult situations, like many, but it's the attitude me must adopt to deal with those situations which keep us above water, keeps us fighting. 

We have to make ourselves be heard...so with every post I upload and with every bit of filming or meeting I attend...It will all go towards raising awareness of MS and teaching people to understand the condition as well as helping those who have it, live with it. 

Summer Summery

Summer is over and it's back to reality. (For those of you who don't know, I work at a school so the glorious summer break has come to an end)

Every day is a challenge in small ways and some days in slightly bigger ways. But this was my first
summer living with MS. I didn't go away but I didn't need to! The glorious summer days here were enough to handle.

As you may have seen in earlier posts at the beginning of the summer, the heat caused my second major relapse resulting in Optic Neuritis. I lost the sight in my right eye for 5 days before I was put on an incredibly high dose of steroids, with its own set of side effects, to bring my sight back to perfection over the course of a week. I have never appreciated seeing so much in ALL my life! 

As a result I decided to be the ultimate tourist in London!

MS doesn't and shouldn't stop you from doing anything

I learned very quickly that I need to pace myself. Learn your limitations and work within them not against them. If you push yourself too hard you will fall backwards. If you do whats right for you, you'll soon find you're doing more than you could ever imagine.

Here's my summer in pictures...


BUCKINGHAM PALACE: STATE ROOMS & QUEENS CORONATION EXHIBITION 
(I Heart Norman Hartnell and yes I will drop in the fact that he is an OLD MILLHILLIAN!)

V&A MUSEUM: FASHION THROUGH THE AGES AND THE 80'S EXHIBITION

 A TRIP TO DEVON WITH EMMA

KENWOOD BAKE OFF AND VARIOUS AFTERNOON TEAS (Paleo Paleo Paleo right? hmmm...)

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM (OBVIOUSLY. If I were a dinosaur I would be the small one in the bottom centre...what a dude)

All in all I had a wonderful summer in London and was able to do and see so much. I'm so happy I got to experience so much and it's also doubled as research and inspiration for my Wedding Planning, Styling and Design course which I started this summer also!!

Until tomorrow...

P x

Paleo Paleo Paleo

The Paleo Diet

This is a diet I have mentioned many times before but i've never really spoken about it in much depth. I thought i'd do a little more research into it and share my findings with you as a lot of people have been asking about it and how it benefits me and my MS.

It's all about discipline as well as enjoying and experimenting with the foods you can eat. This diet is great for anyone who wants to live a more naturally healthy lifestyle and wake up feeling energised on a daily basis.

The Paleo Diet is based on our hunter-gatherer ancestors and their diet. Understandably we don't need to hunt for our food so it's about making choices which reflect this historical diet.

I find so many diet websites confusing to understand and are usually bombarded with advertisements to buy their books and products so I hope to give a clear understanding below of what the Paleo Diet is all about in a more simplistic manner. It's more of a lifestyle change than a 'diet' as such.

So what does this 'diet' consist of?

- High intake of protein
- Low intake of carbohydrates
- High fibre intake
- Moderate to higher intake of GOOD fats (monounsaturated and Omega-3 fats)
- Higher potassium intake than sodium
- High intake of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants


What can I eat?

- Grass-fed meats (not grain-fed meats)
- Fowl
- Wild fish (not farmed fish)
- Eggs
- Vegetables (the darker the better)
- Oil (olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil)
- Fruits (try those with thinner skins such as grapes and berries and again the darker the better)
- Nuts (Almonds are great!)
- Sweet potato
- coconut milk, almond milk

What can't I eat?

- Legumes (peanuts included)
- Dairy
- Gluten, Wheats, Grains
- Salt
- Refined sugar
- Processed foods - Takeaways, packet meals, anything bleached or artificial
- White potato


Want some tips?

- Eat little and often - SMALLER portions every 3-4 hours
- Drink green tea and water throughout the day
- Don't overload on fruit...it may be natural but contains high levels of fructose (sugar = carbs = fat)
- Don't be conned by 'gluten-free' foods, these are still processed and unhealthy
- Give it a go for at least 1 month to see results.
- Just because you eat one bad thing doesn't mean you have to write off the day entirely. Keep going!
- If you DO somehow find yourself eating 'bad' food...make the bad food gluten free at least... GF and Dairy Free dark choc, GF Pitta Bread and honey. Be realistic. It's better to be semi healthy than totally unhealthy.


Food Diary

Keeping a food diary can be a great way of monitoring how certain foods affect you. Think of the benefits of being able to look back at what you've eaten over a 5 - 8 week period. I write mine on a word document which I keep on my home and work computer and I've made it a habit of filling it out as the day goes on. BE HONEST: DONT BE SCARED TO LIST YOUR MISTAKES.. this will help you see where you may be going wrong or highlight 'good days'.
There are some great apps to help you track your intake of food such as My Fitness Pal.

I've been loosely following this diet since January however I don't feel i've been doing as well as I should.  I'm going to do a 30 day food diary and set myself some guidelines in terms of going to the gym and setting targets. For me it isn't about losing weight, as i actually want to gain muscle, so I will set some body fat percentage loss targets as well as some simple ones like eating clean for AT LEAST 5 days consecutively.

Most importantly you need to ENJOY the Paleo way of life. There are some amazing recipe books out there which can really help inspire you with your cooking. Happy eating!

P x

"UM...."

I'v been given the all clear to start steroids tomorrow!! 500mg a day for 5 days.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee....This makes me SO happy because I might actually be able to see properly again. I had to abandon driving today as it just became too hard and dangerous.

P xx

MS Information Day - Elstree

ONE BIG HAPPY MS FAMILY!

I had a fabulous day at the Holiday Inn in Elstree today for the MS Education Day. It was full of interesting messages, information and new faces which was lovely. I can barely see the screen again so the video post is below. 

P x

I Dare You

"I dare you to live out your dreams. I dare you to get out of your comfort zone. I dare you to make people turn their heads because you're fit and you're on fire!

I DARE YOU. 

Challenge yourself, go out of your comfort zone and push yourself just that little bit each day. 

I can't stress enough how bang on Tesco's has it....EVERY LITTLE HELPS! 

You don't have to be an athlete to have this mentality...This work ethic will help you FIGHT MS. 

#MSSWAG

P x

If the cure to blindness was looking foolish would you risk it?

Yes I will risk looking foolish to cure my loss of sight....so here goes! 

(By the way: Documenting my progress isn't because I want to make myself 'public' and have people feel sorry for me... It's to raise awareness as well as keep track of my progress and development as this is a long term condition)

"Imagine if you were blind, complete darkness, no colours, no views, no beauty, just pitch black"

"If pushing yourself to your limits could give you sight..."

"If there was a cure, would you let anything stand in your way?"

"Do you really want to succeed?

Would you really care if they mocked you, laughed at you, pointed at you or bad mouthed you?

Would you be concerned about your extreme goal or just embrace the extreme work?"

P x

I C U

YO! So I have been rather ill the past few weeks...hence lack of posts and not just that but I've had trouble seeing out of my right eye due to a relapse. So using my computer etc hasn't been on my list of things to do recently.... It's actually still really painful so i'll keep it brief and post a really lame video highlighting all things I want to say :) Remember: STAY POSITIVE

P X

"I can't accept not trying"

I'm listening to: 

GRIMES - SKIN

I don't know about you, but I quite often have to battle my way out of negative mind sets.
I'm overly positive because I have to be. I'm using this obstacle which has been put in my way to my advantage. Rather than struggling to drag it everywhere I go, i'm slowly training myself to pick it up and  move it aside.

Don't be consumed and don't let every day become a constant battle to be on top. 
Days, moths and years will go by, but train your mind to let it come naturally.

Don't get me wrong, I find it SO hard sometimes, but i'm constantly reminded by great people in my life that I need to keep going. If I fall or slow down or struggle, thats ok as long as i've tried to get back up again.. (something I learned today because I wasn't trying to get back up).

"I can't accept not trying" - Michael Jordan / My PT today

Todays TRAGIC gym session went from bad to worse to good.  As mentioned, my current relapse has caused me to lose feeling in my right arm, hand, chest and back. This means every time I go to put the damn lid back on my bottle of water, and can't, I'm reminded of my situation and frustration kicks in. I'm almost started crying in the middle of the gym! In fact, i'm sure I shed a tear or two on those rubber mats.

After wasting some time being grumpy and arguing with my personal trainer, I decided not to waste the last 15 minutes of my session (or more I was TOLD I wasn't to waste the last of the session)..either way it worked and when I found out the exercise I was about to do is how Jodie Marsh trains, I quickly perked up and decided to release my inner body builder...

Now, having said all this... I can feel my shoulder again! My right boob and right arm are still quite numb but hey...I can feel my shoulder so left thumbs up!

P x