Kosiwa
Meet Kosiwa, an occupational therapist who loves the gym.
Debbie is a triathlete, yoga instructor and swim group organiser. After struggling with ill-health and multiple diagnoses she found that energy breeds energy. Now she uses being active as a way of managing her health conditions.
At 32 I was diagnosed with my 1st Autoimmune disease Lupus. I had already in my twenties been diagnosed with Raynaud’s Disease. But I had learned to live with. After this second diagnosis, I was told I’d have to ‘Modify my lifestyle’. I wasn’t sure what they meant as I was only able to work and sleep as I was so exhausted all the time.
It took me 6 years to get to grips with things and into doing some form of exercise. My husband is a keen runner. I always wanted to give it a try but found it too exhausting going out with him.
There was a gym at work and staff had a free membership, so I thought I’d give it a go. A chap there always seemed to be on the treadmill next to me. He started giving me little coaching tips and lots of encouragement. After a couple of months, I was running 3 miles and I was amazed!
From here on in I knew that exercise was the key to managing my illnesses. My new motto was ‘Exercise to Energize’.
I like to set myself challenges – small steps towards big goals. Now, I do quite a lot of different sports. I teach Tai chi and Qi gong. I also cycle, run, walk, swim, and practice yoga.
In November last year I decided I wanted to sea swim/dip all through Winter. I always found I had a lot less pain when being in the sea in the warmer months. I asked a couple of friends if they’d join me.
In the end, I set up my own swim group ‘Shivery Bites’ for anyone else who wanted to join us. I now have 103 members. I’ve made lots of new friends, and it’s been wonderful to see people of all abilities get the buzz from open water swimming.
Helping us tackle inactivity to boost health and happiness
