Oxygen USA – July-August 2019

oxygenmag.com 119

n April 19, 2009, competitive cyclist and nutrition

and kinesiology student Ashley Nelson began her day in

the San Francisco Bay Area like any other — going on a bike

ride with her now-husband Dave. But typical quickly turned to tragic

when Nelson was struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run accident. The side

mirror struck her tailbone, then ripped through the left side of her body,

breaking bones and ribs and tearing up other vital tissues up and down her

left side. Her head hit the pavement, destroying her helmet and causing a

brain bleed and a series of strokes over the next several days in the hospital.

“I remember waking up and I couldn’t move the left side of my body

at all — could not even open my left eyelid or smile,” Nelson says. “I have

absolutely no memory of that day, that week or most of that year. I don’t

even remember the neurologist saying that I might never walk again.”

It’s Like Riding a Bike

Left with partial paralysis, double vision from a dead optical nerve and

a cognitive brain injury, Nelson endured countless hours of therapy

for speech, movement and function and spent several hours each day

working to reverse her left-side paralysis and improve her strength.

But what she believes really made a huge diff erence in her recovery

was Dave: After Nelson was discharged, Dave bought a tandem bicycle

and hoisted her on the back. He attached her feet to the pedals and

together they began tooling around town. “I really think this helped

my body move again,” she explains. “The blood fl ow helped my brain,

and the movement helped the muscle memory.”

Racing Toward the Future

Though cycling with Dave was therapeutic, the accident left Nelson

with post-traumatic stress disorder and made competitive cycling more

stressful than enjoyable. So she took up running. Of course, she didn’t

go right from a wheelchair to racing 5Ks overnight. “I had to learn to

walk again and, trust me, that process is emotionally painful and full of

heartbreak,” she says. But she persevered and in three years’ time had

worked up to running 20 to 30 miles per week. Five years after that,

she was logging 50 to 70 miles per week. “Now I compete in trail and

ultramarathons. I recently qualifi ed for the Boston Marathon at the Napa

Valley Marathon with time to spare,” she says.

These days, Nelson’s coach sends her a personalized training routine

each month with daily running miles, cross-training and strength

routines — and when she can’t do an exercise because of her disability,

he creates a safe and eff ective alternative.

Though it’s been a long road, Nelson is positive about her future

outlook. “Many [doctors] have told me that I am only here today because

I was extremely fi t and healthy before the accident,” she says. “I will

never be the person I was before the accident, but that doesn’t mean I

should give up. I’ve created new dreams with new goals and am proof

that you can do almost anything if you set your mind to it.”

By Jill Schildhouse fi t factor SPOTLIGHT

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ASHLEY’S POWERDAY WORKOUT

Nelson’s current workout programming is tailored around running,

strength and speed. “The goal with this power day is to use a

heavier load to promote greater muscle recruitment,” she says.

Warm-Up

Cat/Cow 5

Runner’s Lunge and Twist 3 (each side)

Hamstring Stretch 30 seconds (each side)

Bird Dog 30 seconds (each side)

Glute Bridge 30 seconds

The real

wonder woman

A horrible

accident left Ashley

Nelson partially

paralyzed and

with a brain injury

— but even that

couldn’t quell her

competitive spirit.

ASHLEY’S MUSTHAVE

SUPPLEMENTS FROM NOW FOODS

BCAA Big 6. “The taurine gives me the endurance I need for lifting

and aids in my postworkout recovery.”

Egg-White Protein Powder. “I love to sneak this into my kids’

pancakes. And for myself, I mix it with almond butter and Greek

yogurt for a yummy dip for apples or to mix with blueberries.”

Power-Set Workout

Choose a heavy weight and go

through this routine four times.

Rest 60 seconds between

moves and two minutes

between rounds. If desired,

perform a core exercise like

dead bugs, mountain climbers,

bird dogs or planks instead

of taking the rest.

5 Deadlifts

3 Step-Ups (each leg)

5 Squats

5 Box Jumps

Movement Prep

Choose a light weight

and do this couplet once

through.

10 Deadlifts

10 Squats