MS didn't stop her from fulfilling her dream of walking on her own
“I just wanted to be able to walk.”
Life has thrown some health curveballs at Adele Biancarelli and throughout her battles she’s kept one constant vision for her future- to be able to walk on her own.
At 68 years old, she’s achieved her vision and so much more. Keep reading for her story.
She just wanted to be able to walk
Adele Biancarelli has battled Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for decades which disrupts the communication between body and brain, making everyday functions like walking a challenge.
In addition to MS, she also has Dystonia where involuntary muscle contractions cause repetitive or twisting movements. For Adele, this makes her body tend to lean significantly to one side, throwing off her balance, and muscle use.
“My whole body is always slanted over to one side. And so it causes me a lot of pain.”
Ever since she was a young girl Adele holds a memory of an MS woman who couldn’t walk and it’s been a driving force for her to avoid that same outcome.
“I never want to be that way. That's the only thing I ever wanted to do was walk.”
Car accident becomes a catalyst
A few years ago, Adele got into a car accident that became a wakeup call for her.
Another driver suddenly pulled out right in front of her in an alleyway and Adele couldn't control her own car in time, and crashed.
She knew that driving may not be the best idea for her anymore, and the need to be able to walk became more pressing.
Two things became her saving grace in those moments. A light backpack that allowed her to stand upright (see video) and The Perfect Workout.
Her miracle
“I wanted to be strong enough to be my own cane.”
When Adele saw an ad for The Perfect Workout’s 20-minute strength training program, she thought, “this is perfect.”
In February, 2017 Adele joined The Perfect Workout’s Wheaton studio and has loved the entire experience.
After two years of training consistently once a week with Personal Trainers Adele realized something incredible…
“I woke up one day and I'm holding myself up! How did this happen?”
Adele was getting stronger throughout her entire body from slow-motion strength training and finally had the strength and stability to stand up straight without assistance.
But she was able to do more than just stand.
She got rid of her canes and became “her own cane” like she had always wanted.
“I don't use them anymore. They're there if I need them, but I feel like I'm strong enough.”
MS client, Linda doesn't have to rely on her cane much anymore due to slow-motion strength training.
The power of just one workout a week
Adele has been able to continually build and maintain her strength in 2020 with Virtual Training which is really important for someone with MS since it's a degenerative disease.
“I still have MS and still can act up. [Virtual Training] has worked out really good. There's a minimal amount of energy that I have to expend getting to and from.. It's just been such a positive experience.”
Adele is thrilled with all of her results. In addition to ditching her cane and being able to walk tall, she’s achieved some other significant results.
Before joining The Perfect Workout, Adele used to have a rather prominent hump in her back and her newfound strength and posture have helped to reduce it.
“I was like a humpback, It was really bad. And it's really gone down a lot!”
She’s also lost weight without really trying. Almost 20lbs actually!
And she’s been able to do all of this with just one 20-minute training session a week. Imagine the transformation that could take place with two sessions a week.
Kyphosis is a common “humpback” issue older adults face and can be improved through strength training. (Image source: Fit4lifehealthclubs)
Her perfect workout
Slow-motion strength training has been such a simple, yet powerful solution for Adele.
She’s able to walk without assistance, she’s gained muscle and lost fat, reduced the hump in her back and loves the way her body feels at 68 years old.
“It's so nice to be able to walk and I hardly feel any pain anymore. It's so cool to feel my muscles. My legs never had definition before. It's so fun.
But, more importantly, I'm walking and I could see myself doing this as I age.”
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