38-year-old Paul O’Lone hasn’t competed in a bodybuilding competition since 1993 --- when he won the Mr. North America competition at the pinnacle of his career --- preparing to turn pro.

 

O’Lone was prepping to become a professional bodybuilder when he began experiencing balance and bladder problems in 1995.

 

Little did Paul know that the balance issues were just the beginning of an up-and-down roller-coaster ride through life for him, the well-conditioned and toned body builder.

 

Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1997, O’Lone’s bodybuilding career was shunted until recently, when he competed at the San Jose Bodybuilding championships last weekend.

 

“I sat in a wheelchair feeling sorry for myself,” says O’Lone.

 

• Discovering a Need for Accessible Fitness Equipment

 

O’Lone was living in Pennsylvania and running an entertainment business when he decided to sell his business and move to California in 2001.

 

Upon coming to the Bay Area, Paul rated several fitness centers and discovered that none of the fitness centers had accessible equipment for individuals with MS or spinal cord injuries.

 

He met his future wife, Judy, online in an AOL Health & Fitness chat room in 1998.

 

“She told me she would be my friend forever, says O’Lone.

 

“She pushed me around when I was in a wheelchair and continues to push me mentally to pursue my dreams and goals, I owe a lot to her,” says O’Lone of wife Judy. “She really made me believe in myself.”

 

In 2002, O’Lone received the MS Society Achievement award at their Dinner of Champions. The award was presented to Paul by legendary NFL quarterback Joe Montana. “It was a great pleasure sitting with Joe and getting that award,” said O’Lone.

 

• Returning to the Stage

 

“I’m stepping onstage again to inspire those with disabilities that they can believe in themselves again too,” said O’Lone who hadn’t competed in over a dozen years.

 

“Going on-stage, there’s lots of lights, so I have to be prepared. I pace myself so I don’t overheat,” said O’Lone about competing in the spotlight.

 

“You can’t worry about worries, you have to tackle things as they come,” says O’Lone.

 

O’Lone has been training for over 6 months for competition, cutting 30 pounds in that span. “Although I don’t have the size, I have the muscle maturity. I feel really confident, I did my homework and studied well for this competition,” said O’Lone.

 

“My life is different now because I feel through exercise, I have regained control of my life and no longer have to give in to this thing they call MS. I am inspired by the people in my gym everyday and I am competing again for everybody who has some type of physical challenge,” stated O’Lone in an article he wrote earlier this year.

 

“Even if I have to use my cane, I am there, win or lose, to represent people that are physically challenged like me.”

 

Unlike many bodybuilders, Paul refuses to take any chemicals. “I bodybuild to be healthy, not big.  “I just want to enjoy myself out there,” says the jubilant O’Lone.

 

O’Lone will be competing again this weekend at a WBFA competition in Vacaville, CA, where, if he places well enough, he can qualify to compete for Team USA against Team Europe.

 

• About MS and Ways To Live Healthy

 

“MS is very much a mental disease, and stress is the worst thing for people with MS,” stated O’Lone.

 

Paul says if you have MS and stop exercising, MS progresses further faster. “Exercise opens up neuropath pathways.”

 

“Eating proper is very important. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables is very beneficial to those with [and without] MS,” said O’Lone.

 

“MS causes people to become fatigued quicker, therefore proper nutrition is essential,” said O’Lone. O’Lone states that with MS, the food you eat --- and don’t eat can strongly elevate and/or effect stress levels and mood. “If you eat bad, your stress increases and you’ll get tired and depressed,” adds O’Lone.

 

“The most important nutrients are water and oxygen. You can better oxygen intake by exercising, as exercising gets the blood pumping, which gets oxygen flowing through the blood,” says O’Lone.

 

Paul’s quick summary for a healthier lifestyle with MS:

-         Drinking plenty of water

-         Proper Dieting

-         Exercising

 

• Believing in Yourself

 

“With MS, or any condition, it’s really key to constantly reassess yourself, adapting and doing what you love and believing in yourself,” says O’Lone.

 

“Don’t worry about yesterday, or tomorrow, just enjoy the ride and live life to its fullest,” says Paul. “I wanna be on a roller coaster ride, not on a constant carousel ride with no thrills.”

 

Paul continues, “If they believe, they can achieve their goals.”

 

O’Lone refers to this poem, which provided a glimpse of Paul’s attitude about reassessing yourself and adapting as things face him:

 

“A pessimist says ‘Where is the wind’ when sailing the boat, an optimist expects the wind, but a realist keeps on adjusting the sails.”

 

• Opening Shop in Santa Clara and Growing

 

O’Lone founded Accessible Fitness Center in Santa Clara in 2002 thanks to support from Judy’s mother Merry --- who put her house up for sale to help enable Paul and Judy to open Accessible Fitness Center.

 

Accessible Fitness first opened its doors in 2002, operating out of a chiropractor’s office at the Silicon Valley Wellness Center on Scott and Walsh in Santa Clara. “I owe a lot to Dr. James Grubinskas for getting us started. I’ll never forget the people who’ve helped me get to where I am now,” said O’Lone.

 

After building a large enough clientele, O’Lone decided he had to move to a bigger location on his own. In 2004, Accessible Fitness opened at its current location at 2936 Scott.

 

 

• About Accessible Fitness

 

Currently, Accessible Fitness Center caters to over 50 individuals, some coming from as far as Redwood City and elsewhere in the SF Peninsula. “We have people who come from as far as Redwood City, so we think a new location in the North bay, such as Mountain View will be an ideal second location, as people could come from San Francisco,” says O’Lone.

 

O’Lone and a group of 15 representing Accessible Fitness recently competed in the MS walk. “Walking is one of the best exercises anyone can do,” said O’Lone.

 

Because several people with MS are sensitive to heat and the sun, Accessible Fitness keeps their building below 70, keeping their clients cool.

 

Although there are issues with transportation and limited income, O’Lone says Outreach is very helpful is getting clients to appointments. Accessible Fitness has derived plans helping those with limited income.

 

“We want to be able to serve everyone who desires to be trained here,” says O’Lone.

 

“Hopefully, one day, there’ll be fitness centers across the nation in every major city with accessible fitness equipment,” says O’Lone.

 

Accessible Fitness focuses on CORE training --- muscle strength-building in the muscle groups, which are first to weaken from MS.

 

“I found out which muscles are primarily affected by MS - the core muscles (abs, hip, and back muscles). When these get weak, it’s like a flower with a frail stem that falls over when the wind blows,” said O’Lone.

 

O’Lone states he also learned about core muscles by watching his son, Tyler, now four-years-old. “When Tyler was only seven-months-old he had the leg-strength to push himself up to a standing position, but I had to hold him so he could balance. When he was 11-months-old, he would always use the couch to support himself while he walked – much like I had to do … I realized that for an infant, the core muscles are the last to develop, and in a person with MS, or other neurological conditions, they are the first to go. Before he could walk, Tyler would balance on his knees. I thought, ‘what a great way to exercise; do it from your knees and challenge the balance. You don’t have to worry about falling!’ …  I also found that by waking up new muscle, I could stabilize and walk better,” says O’Lone.

 

“Tyler is another big inspiration. His never-ending energy and charisma just pushes me even harder,” said O’Lone.

 

 Learning from his son, and from life experiences, O’Lone discovered that the average person activates about 60 to 70 percent of their muscles in their entire lifetime, but a bodybuilder about 75 percent, however,  a flexible dancer or gymnast awakens about 90 percent or more. “I said to myself, ‘Wow! If I could tap into those muscles, it would be like having a spare tire for you car,’ so the way I did this was by challenging balance using a Swiss-ball, or standing on air cushions. Both strengthen the core, which people with MS really have to focus on,” said O’Lone.

 

Accessible Fitness caters to a wide array of clientele. “We train everyone, not just people in wheelchairs or with disabilities,” says O’Lone. “We’ve trained people with MS, Cerebral Palsy, Larsen’s syndrome, Diabetes, weight loss/weight control and more,” added O’Lone.

 

Accessible Fitness is located at 2936 Scott Blvd in Santa Clara. Call 408-986-1419 or visit www.accessiblefitness.com for more information.