This was the Metro national tennis tournament, organised for and by people with visual impairments (VI), also known as ‘VI tennis’. Much to my surprise, it is a fast and furious game.

Many people can’t see their opponent, so the rule is to always shout ‘ready?’ and when the opponent replies ‘yes’, the server will shout ‘play’ when the serve is about to be hit. Everyone is allowed two ball bounces, with those who have very low vision / totally blind being allowed three. The ball contains a bell or ball bearings, which gives the players the auditory input necessary to find the ball on the court.

As a Physio, I was astounded at their ability to stay upright as they ran towards a ball with significantly limited visual information, and the determination of those who did fall quite badly, obtain a huge carpet graze, and got straight back up again as if nothing had happened.

I was also amazed at the brain’s ability to find the ball so quickly and to somehow get the racket in the right place at the right time.

As well as the usual doubles and singles, the tournament also put on a mixed vision tournament, whereby a fully sighted player would partner up with a visually impaired player. I was invited to play by Paul, who has macular degeneration.

It took a bit of getting used to the shorter court, ball and racket (and I was only allowed one bounce and not allowed to volley), but it turned out to be a challenging and fun game.

Personally, I enjoy being around inspiring people undertaking great things. It’s also satisfying to support a new and emerging sport, and to teach newcomers how it all works. This is not just a sport, but a social opportunity for people who may have become quite isolated. I also recognise that if I were to lose my own sight and be unable to play tennis, I would suffer greatly so it’s a pleasure to be able to facilitate the sport.

Metro are trying to get the game into the Paralympics one day, and this year during the Paralympics showcased the sport at St. Paul’s cathedral. Funds are still required to develop the unique ball, and to ensure new players get the right coaching and opportunities. Physios may be in a perfect place to identify new players, or to signpost visually impaired people to this unique sporting opportunity.

The sport is very new, so finding more players is essential to further expand the game and ensure there are sufficient numbers of people to play competitively.

Maybe you know someone who is visually impaired, or have impairment yourself? Maybe you could help set up a group or help with sessions near you? Maybe you’d just like to be involved? If you or anyone you know would like to find out more about VI tennis, either as a participant or volunteer, see: www.metroblindsport.org.uk

Christmas is very different for different people, but inevitably there is something special about it: either there is an increase in hustle, bustle, food, engagements, noise, preparations or else it might be a time where the absence of such things might make us more thoughtful, or we might find the lack of routine and structure a problem.

Whatever the case for you, it can so useful to sit down in advance and have a good think. What will I be doing? What preparations can I make? How can I avoid being overly active, or overly anxious? What can I do to make sure I get the right balance: seeing people I enjoy being with, and at the same time ensuring I have time to rest, or to take part in the routines that keep me healthy? How can I ensure I have enjoyable activities in my diary over Christmas, without taking on too much reponsiblity, or spending too much in the kitchen?

Here’s an exercise you can do to help you to think about Christmas and make sure it works in harmony with your health:

• What are my priorities? What do I really want to do? (vs ‘duty’ or ‘obligation’)
• What things do I want to keep in my routine: what things keep me healthy?
• What will I need to communicate to others, to help manage expectations?
• What practical steps can I take to mimise the risk of overdoing it?
• Who can I ask to support me over this time?
• What will my week actually look like? Will it work?
• What can I do now, in the run-up, to take pressure off?

Whatever you choose to do, have a wonderful December and really take time to enjoy the preparations you make.

Getting through Final Year of University … with PVFS

Final year was always going to be difficult and stressful, not to mention exhausting. When I was diagnosed with Post-viral fatigue in the November of my final year however, these difficulties took on a whole new form. Rather than cramming in writing history essays and French translations into the few spare hours I had between lectures, fitness classes and my 4 hockey sessions each week, I found myself too drained, exhausted and dizzy to even contemplate getting out of bed.

By second term, I was lucky to have been put in touch with Jessica. She helped me regain structure to my daily routine, and stopped me sleeping when it wasn’t night time so that I wouldn’t get stuck in the habit. It was difficult at first to ‘rest’ but not fall asleep when I was so desperately tired, even after the rare occurrence of a good night’s sleep. But I persevered, and soon found that I felt a little more human during the day, and able to do some work. I really noticed a difference when I stopped being stubborn and decided to follow her guidance rigorously, sticking to my morning and evening routines so that I wouldn’t burn out in the day and could get the best sleep possible at night.

Having reluctantly and eventually been forced by my body to reduce my hockey time from 10 hours a week to just 1, I felt I was losing myself to the fatigue. Jess helped me find myself. We worked together to find me a base of exercise I could do each day- on both good and bad days. This was difficult at first, keeping myself motivated to go to the gym for a few minutes each day even when all I felt like doing sometimes was napping. I persevered, my will to get better and back to hockey propelling me through, and with the structure Jess helped me add to my daily routine too, I was able to slightly increase the amount of exercise I was doing each day. 4 minutes seems a tiny increase, but to me it was monumental- I was well and truly on the road to recovery!

This gradual increase in exercise helped me regain my sanity, made me feel healthier, stronger and more like myself. It was what got me out of bed in the morning- I’d go to the gym, then get started on my revision. My days would be the same so I could monitor my progress and any changes in how I felt. My evening routine would be the same too- dinner, watch tv, shower, stretches, relaxing music, then (fingers crossed) I’d go to sleep and sleep well, ready for the next day. Keeping everything the same but gradually increasing my exercise when my body was ready, meant I could really feel myself getting better and decrease the likelihood of relapsing and doing too much. I’ve now worked myself up to being capable of doing a ‘normal’ amount in the gym. My body is able to cope better with setbacks and when I overdo it because it is fitter and stronger- much like how a ‘healthy’ fitter person would cope better with exercise than an unfit ‘healthy’ person . I’ve had one relapse in the last 6 months, but the structure and guidelines Jessica worked with me on have helped me see how and why that happened, and I’m now back on track and feeling 85% better- 90% on a good day!

Please click here: Secrets to Recovery to hear story (52mins) 

In this open and frank interview in which he explores many important recovery topics such as restorative rest and relaxation, good nutrition, and a graded approach to exercise, he describes how he went from being a high-flying businessman to being unable to work due to CFS/ME.

During this interview (approx 30mins in to the story) he describes the difference Graded Exercise Therapy made to his recovery, and explains what it was like to undertake the programme. He describes how he started to get hopeful again, and that being able to see incremental and sustained improvements was a “major turning point”. He describes how getting into the swimming pool again was “massively liberating” as was being able to see changes to his strength, fitness and symptoms.

Nick describes himself as fully recovered after being unwell for many years, and has now set up his own business, Pear. Pear works with Organisations and individuals to build their employees’ Performance, Energy and Resilience through Coaching, Training and Consultancy. www.http://www.thepearcompany.org

Thank you, Nick, for sharing this with us: hearing direct, positive recovery stories is so important and show us not only that it’s possible, but also gives us a roadmap a to what we can do to make it possible.

Anyone wishing to find out more about Graded Exercise Therapy or to book on a programme, contact info@vitality360.co.uk.

However, sometimes this new blank canvas can be quite daunting, and it can be hard to imagine what llfe could be like.

Here’s a helpful starting point, based on working out what your values are:

1) go to: http://motivationalinterview.net/library/valuescardsort.pdf
2) Print out the different words and cut them out
3) Place them under 3 headings:
VERY IMPORTANT TO ME
IMPORTANT TO ME
NOT IMPORTANT TO ME
4) Then, choose your top few cards.
5) Reflect on these and consider what actions you might take to ensure that the activities you do in your day match these values, and that you consider these when you plan your goals, your future, and how you spend your time.

I take no credit for this work: it is based on the work of W.R. Miller, J. C’de Baca, D.B. Matthews, P.L. Wilbourne, University of New Mexico, 2001 who have made this freely available for others to benefit.

Yet, every day I talk to people with such stories: I hear how one person has managed to get back to work despite being off for 5 years, or another person who gets out for a walk every day even though they’ve become afraid of stepping outside. You tell me that you got up and out of bed every day even though every cell in your body was sucking you back into the bed, and that you’ve just registered for a 5K run even though you can only walk for 15minutes. You may never wish to be a Paralympic champion, but you’ll have your own version, requiring the same courage and commitment. This is one reason I love my job: I get to celebrate with you the steps you make towards your own version of amazing.

It might be different for different people, but might sound like “if I can’t do that, there’s no point”, or “I can’t do that, so I won’t go,” or it might be packing away something that you used to love like the bits and pieces associated with a hobby. But is it really true that you can’t do it? Sure, you might need to think about doing it differently, or planning the activity so that it works better for you, but is it true that you can’t do it AT ALL?

Here’s something to consider doing:
1) Write a list of all of the things you’ve stopped doing since becoming unwell or injured*
2) Add to this list the things you used to enjoy doing
3) Then add the things that you think you might like to do, or things you’ve always wanted to do
4) Ignore your head when it says “that’s all very well, but I can’t do that!”
5) Now go through your list and ask yourself – what CAN I do? Maybe you can’t go to the full wedding, meal and dance afterwards but you can go to the part you’d enjoy most, see a few people and then leave? Maybe you can do an online learning course, at your own pace instead of a course where you have to go in and attend regularly after a long journey? Maybe you can pick up your camera again and visit some places you find inspiring or peaceful?
6) Ask yourself HOW can I do it? This describes the steps you might need to take to make sure that your plan really works for you, and it might involve extending the journey, taking rest breaks or thinking about where you could get some quiet time, splitting the activity up into smaller chunks, for example, or having a strategy to make you leave when you said you would (recruiting friends to help can also make a difference).
7) Notice what new options and possibilities open up for you
Keep your list somewhere visually and handy, so it becomes a living, breathing ideas bank of things you can do.
9) And now the important bit: do them

* If this makes you feel sad, then make sure you move on to the next step, or talk to your therapist about how to move on.

When we are unwell, resting is something that we usually do: either because we’re feeling really rough, or because it just seems to make sense. It does make sense when we are fighting an infection for example, and we all need to settle and relax every now and again. However, resting too much also has a significant and powerfully negative impact on the body if we do too much of it. Science tells us we can lose up to 10% of our muscle strength by just spending 2 weeks in bed – wow! That’s a lot! Of course, what is ‘too much’ and what its the ‘right amount’ is a constant question that needs asking, and there’s no clear answer for we need to stop and rest during periods of activity as well: our muscles need a chance to rest, and so does our mind – it can refresh us and make us feel restored. Sometimes, when our body hurts or when we are tired, are bodies are telling us to rest. However, sometimes they are actually telling us to be more active: my legs didn’t want ANY more sitting down, and neither did my neck and head want me to do anything else on the laptop! Interpreting and making sense of these messages is a constant learning process.