Hello! I am Georgie, I'm 35 and I live with Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Ankylosing Spondylitis (also sometimes called Axial SpA) is a form of autoimmune, inflammatory arthritis. It primarily affects the spine and SI joints but it can also cause inflammation in other joints such as knees, hands, feet and jaw, and other parts of the body like the skin, eyes and heart.

Thanks to my Ankylosing Spondylitis, I am in pain every day. I wake up with very stiff joints and also suffer from chronic fatigue. But one thing that has helped me manage my symptoms is strength training.

So this year I am aiming to do a different strength training exercise every day in September in order to raise money for NASS. NASS (National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society) have been a lifeline for me on my journey with Axial SpA and I know they also have been for many others living with the condition.

I am aiming to share my Strength-tember journey on my Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/beanandgreens) and will be accepting suggestions for exercises on there too! I am going to aim to do the day's exercise on a live stream each day too, so you can follow along with my progress and see what adjustments I'm making to manage the exercise.

There are definitely going to be some days where this will be a huge challenge for me - especially if I am in a lot of pain or suffering from bad fatigue. But I am determined to complete all 30 days!

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NASS is the only charity in the UK dedicated to transforming axial SpA care. More than 200,000 people in the UK have axial SpA – that’s 1 in 200!

For almost 50 years they’ve been providing specialist support, advice and the most up-to-date information. They aim to empower everyone with axial spondyloarthritis (axial SpA) to manage their treatment and to stay in control of their lives.