Motivation to follow the Program with Claire and Nev Dean | S6E1

10-01-2024 • 27 mins

Happy New Year! Welcome to season 6 of Living Well with MS.

We are excited to kick off the new season with the musicians of our fantastic, brand-new theme tune, Claire and Nev Dean.

Claire was diagnosed with MS in 1999 and has been following the Overcoming MS Program since 2008, her husband Nev also follows the Program even though he doesn’t have MS.

They generously wrote a new theme tune just for the Living Well with MS podcast. We really enjoyed speaking with them about their experience following the Overcoming MS Program, Claire’s passion for physical activity and hearing from Nev about being married to someone with MS.

Watch this episode on YouTube here. Keep reading for the key episode takeaways.

Topics and Timestamps:

01:08 Introducing Claire and Nev, musicians who follow the Overcoming MS Program.

04:27 Claire’s MS diagnosis.

06:58 The benefits of following the Overcoming MS Program even when you don’t have MS.

09:46 Online exercise sessions for people with MS.

12:29 Feeling motivated to follow the Overcoming MS Program.

14:21 Writing the new theme music for the Living Well with MS podcast.

17:17 The importance of exercise and core strength in MS.

19:29 Tips for navigating marriage when a partner lives with MS.

21:35 The importance of meditation, even if you only have one minute.

Selected Key Takeaways:

The Overcoming MS diet is healthy for everyone.
02:11 Nev: “When we got married, I was rather larger. When we started the diet, I did all the cooking. Obviously [as I was doing the cooking], I started eating the same diet as Claire because I had to cook food for her. Over the years I've lost over six and a half stone.”

Following the Overcoming MS Program has stopped Claire’s progression.
12:25 Claire: “The year before we found Overcoming MS, we got married, and I was using a wheelchair. Since I've been following the [Overcoming MS] diet, I haven't got any worse and my progression has stopped.”

Working out in bed is a viable option.
17:17 Claire: “During lockdown, the MS Centre was closed, and I remember my uncle said to me I could do crunches. I just lay in bed, and I worked on my stomach muscles. I went from 20 [crunches] a day up to 300. I've continued to work on my stomach and my abs. Since then, I've started on the pull-up bar, and I do that every morning.”

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