Bio: Michelle Theall, 40, is the founder and publisher of Women’s Adventure magazine, a bimonthly targeting the 74 million American women who enjoy outdoor sports. A native Texan and straight-A graduate of Texas Tech, which she attended on a track scholarship, she has lived in Boulder since 1994. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2003 but has continued to pursue an active lifestyle, and with her partner is adopting an 18-month-old boy.
The Journey: Since girlhood, Theall’s life has revolved around sports, even though her parents, both educators, saw little value in it at first. In addition to being a collegiate athlete, she worked in various fitness jobs before landing a dream position with Women’s Sports & Fitness, only to see it closed and absorbed into Self magazine in 1999. Her current venture, she says, aims in a different direction: “No fad diets, just fresh air.”
Her MS, which was diagnosed just as she was putting the first issue of Women’s Adventure to press, has weakened Theall’s body but not her resolve. Last year she went on a climb of Kilimanjaro, for example, although fatigue halted her attempt at the 16,000-foot level. “My symptoms are irritating but not debilitating,” she says, “and I’m happy with that.”
The Strategy: “MS has made me much more mindful of my health, and the three things that are still in my control: diet, exercise and stress level,” she says. One of the first things she did after getting the diagnosis was to lighten the load on her body by losing the 20 pounds she had gained since college (at 5-feet-3, she now weighs about 120). She did it mainly by cutting out just two “food vices” – chocolate and alcohol.Theall also paid attention not just to what she put in her mouth but to what she put in her house. “If you don’t buy it, and you clear out your pantry of the things that are not good for you, you can control that area of your life,” she says. “I tend to buy a lot of fish instead of red meat – I love salmon – and I get a lot of bulk salad and doctor it up with a little bleu cheese or feta and a handful of almonds. And I definitely buy a whole lot more organic foods. The cost is not all that much more, and, after all, what is your health worth?”‘
In addition to eating better, Theall determined to keep exercising. “It’s not always enjoyable to work out. There are days with this MS where it’s the hardest thing in the world to get up and get moving,” she confesses. “But it’s the only hope I have that it would get any better. If you quit trying, your muscles will atrophy, and I’d rather it be a slow decline than an abrupt one.”-Jack Cox
Exercise
Runs 3 to 5 miles every other day, and does 30 minutes of free weights at home on the off days. Also plays basketball in a women’s league every Monday night. Her workout is detailed in “30 Days to Get Back in Shape,” one in a series of her “Little Kick in the Butt” guides (Fulcrum Books, $9.95).
Diet
Eats oatmeal with blueberries or raisins for breakfast. No cookies, sodas or chips, but guacamole is OK – “It’s got the good kind of fat.” Also, some dark chocolate with high cacao content.
