Jul. 20--BLOOMINGTON -- A few years ago, Domonica Hilt exercised regularly. |
"In 1997, we were both health club people," she said of herself and her husband, Maurice.
The couple also had a treadmill at home. She could easily put in a 60-minute workout.
Then in 2005, Domonica was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The chronic disease, which attacks the central nervous system, has made it difficult for her to do daily chores, let alone a strenuous workout.
"Everything is a challenge," she said. "It's aggravating not to be able to move as fast as I used to. I don't want it to take three hours to make breakfast."
Last month, she started in-home physical therapy to stretch her muscles, increase her mobility and improve her circulation. She also hopes it will help her drop some weight, so she can move easier and leave the house for physical therapy in the swimming pool.
That's her goal for September.
A person needs 60 minutes of exercise each day for weight control, said Kim McClintic, a registered dietitian for the Center for Healthy Lifestyles at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center.
But that doesn't mean it has to be 60 minutes at one time, she said.
For people like Hilt who have a disability that affects their mobility and energy level, McClintic recommends shorter periods of exercise throughout the day -- like several sessions of five minutes each.
"Little one-minute things also add up," she said.
Katrina Hird, a physical therapist at BroMenn Regional Medical Center, agreed.
"Exercise five minutes then take a break," she said.
Hird said people with a physical disability are burning a lot of calories with daily tasks.
"Basic tasks can get your heart rate going," she said. "A person who has suffered a stroke burns a lot of calories just taking a bath."
Hilt can relate to that.
It's an effort for her to get out of bed, get a shower and get dressed in the morning.
Her oldest son, Domonique, 15, helps her get up and down the long flight of stairs in the family's two-story house.
"She can't lift her feet," he said. "I stand in front of her when she's coming down so she doesn't tip."
Someone in the family also makes sure Hilt's shoes and socks are on before family members leave for work or school in the morning. Besides Domonique, the Hilts have another son, Carsen, 9, and two daughters, Julia, 7, and Marissa, 3.
"Living in Bloomington helps," said Maurice Hilt, who moved the family from Chicago. "In an emergency, I can get home from work in 10 or 15 minutes."
His job as a State Farm Insurance Cos. contract employee also allows him to spend one work day at home each week.
Maurice Hilt said the couple's wedding vows -- in sickness and in health -- really hold true.
"It's a challenge that helps strengthen our marriage and our faith," he said of his wife's disability. "It helps me plan even more and to be flexible. She gets tired some days, and I realize this is life."
Domonica Hilt has figured out ways to accomplish many household tasks. She sits on a chair when preparing meals in the kitchen and uses her walker to help move the chair from the kitchen to the living room.
She also has a wheelchair she uses when she ventures out of the house for church or school-related functions.
But she misses doing things with her children.
"I have to sit and watch rather than participate," she said.
Her goal is to be able to depend only on a cane -- or better yet, nothing -- when she walks.
"I want to get to a point that I have a 'normal' life," she said.
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