actions are hurting them. Exercise helps many medical conditions, and I have had wonderful success with my clients who were no longer able to do simple things, such as tying their shoes, getting in and out of the bathtub, etcetera. I even helped prepare one of my clients for the removal of a tumor from one of her lungs. The surgery and her recovery went with ease due to the types of exercises we did to strengthen what was left of her lung capacity. I also kept her legs and upper body strong so that she could move without much stress or strain.”
is better than sitting and doing nothing,” she says. “Try a little bit more each day, and try to be positive and not negative. I try to offer helpful tips to those in my online amputee group who have gained weight and want their lives back. I have actually started a virtual online training via webcam for those who cannot afford a gym and the hefty fees involved. I do not charge much for my training sessions; I am here to help others, and that is what helps me feel good.” Since her amputation, Asch-Martin says that she is more determined than ever to
help others and make a difference. “I want to work with other amputees to help them get their lives back on track and give them the confidence, independence and self-esteem that they once had,” she says. “My clients’ success is what keeps me going. I love to hear them say how thankful they are for what they are able to do after working with me. It is such a great feeling.” For more information about Cindy AschMartin and her company Personal Affects, visit www.Personal-Affects.com.
Help from others
Being an amputee has been a lifechanging experience, and other amputees have been very helpful, Asch-Martin says. “I found that if I needed a question answered, who better to answer it than another amputee. I joined Empowering Amputees (www.EmpoweringAmputees. com) - group of amputees online who have helped me feel like I fit in again. I don’t feel so alone. Even though non-amputees want to say they understand or offer advice, they mean well, but it is not the same. I am in a new world now.” She actually feels that her emotional health improved after the amputation because she was no longer concerned about the leg and the pain it caused. “I have no regrets,” she says. “I am a very strong-minded person, and I have always tried to find the positive in things.”
Helping others
“I really want to help other amputees and other people in general to get their bodies fit and ready for the unexpected,” she says. “From my online amputee group, I learned that so many of them gain weight after losing a limb. Many of them waited until they got their prosthesis and only then began to start exercising again to try to lose all the weight they had gained. I was the opposite and was very active from the get-go after my amputation. In fact, I actually lost approximately 25 pounds even without trying to.” Because she knows how important it is, Asch-Martin encourages other amputees to stay in shape or start getting physically fit. “It’s okay to start slowly because slowly MAY/JUNE/JULY 2012 Amp it up! magazine
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