Truly Unstoppable

Being able to workout and enjoy fitness is something we sometimes take forgranted. It’s often seen as an easy and accessible part of day-to-day life; but what if you had a condition that reduced your movement ability meaning you struggled to perform daily tasks. Would you still see it as a simple aspect of life?

Candice Sweeney, a 32 year old fitness lover from London. She was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis around 8 years ago and has been adapting ever since. We spoke to her about how her condition has effected her fitness journey and what adaptations she has had to make...

So Candice, when did you first get into fitness?

“I have been into fitness since I was about 21 but wasn’t always consistent with it. I have been consistent and more educated in training for about 5 years now. I got into it initially as I started to go to the gym with friends, I really loved the positive feelings it gave me and I knew it was something I enjoyed. Over the years, I have learnt more about training and how the body works and developed the style of training that I enjoy most and what works best for my goals.”

What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

“Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) causes joint inflammation and pain. It happens when the immune system doesn’t work properly and attacks the lining of the joints. It is an autoimmune disease and is incurable. Common symptoms are; weaker immune system, joint pain, swelling, fatigue, body stiffness, numbness and flu-like symptoms. There are more complicated symptoms that can develop also.”

How did it feel being diagnosed?

“I was 24 when I was diagnosed. I was having issues where my joints would be so swollen and there were days when I couldn’t move my hands as it was so painful. They did lots of tests and confirmed it was RA. It’s incurable so they gave me pills to take everyday for the rest of my life. It was scary because I had never had any health issues before and I was scared for how it may progress as I got older and how it would impact my day to day life.”

How have you adapted to life with RA?

“Initially RA did affect my training as my body would be tired, swollen or sore often so I couldn’t be consistent with my training. A few

years after being diagnosed, I became vegan for other reasons and almost immediately, my symptoms went away. I no longer had flare ups where my joints would be swollen and I had more energy than ever before. The doctors took me off the medicine as they recognised how my change in diet had cured me. Over the last 5/6 years, I have now learnt to manage the disease through diet, exercise and sleep. The lockdown made me start working out at home rather than in the gym, I was lucky that I had enough equipment already. It actually made me realise that your workouts can be just as effective at home as in the gym and I really learnt to enjoy the convenience of working out at home. I also started to change up my training by doing more HIIT workouts as I didn’t use to do a lot of cardio before and certainly didn’t enjoy it but I challenged myself and started to enjoy HIIT.”

How does weight training make you feel?

“Amazing!!! I love it, for my mental health it’s so important and always makes me feel so great, no matter what’s going on in my life. Physically, I like seeing the progress and keeping my joints strong which helps with my RA. I couldn’t imagine fitness not being a part of my life. Sometimes I am more motivated than others but I always know, it’s the best thing for me to do. It’s really important to find what fitness works for me and what I enjoy, so that it can become a part of my life and routine.”

What advice would you give to those that may be struggling with Rheumatoid Arthritis?

“Cut out/limit dairy and meat from your diet for the best impact, there is a lot of inflammation in dairy/meat which reacts badly with the disease. Exercise regularly as moving your body and building your strength is so important for RA otherwise your joints can become stiff. Learn to listen to your body, when you are tired, rest and make sure you get a good amount of sleep.”

Finally, do you have any fitness goals for the future?

“I want to continue to build my home gym and challenge myself with building my strength and continue to add more cardio into my routine.”

Check out Candice on Instagram: @candality