April 2023

Rokenia could have used her numerous health issues as an excuse to remain sedentary, but instead she used her latest diagnosis as motivation. Refusing to become a statistic, she put her days of junk food and inactivity behind her and turned her health around through skating and other lifestyle changes.

What prompted you to make a lifestyle change?

I have a few health issues, but there’s one that made me want to do a whole lifestyle change. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. The same day I decided I had to make a drastic change. I didn’t want to end up needing knee replacement or with hands that don’t work. Instead, I chose to improve my quality of life.

What changes did you make?

The day of my diagnosis, I decided to stop eating junk food. I had never eaten healthy, but after that day I only drank water and ate healthy foods. No more candy, chips, nothing like that. Nothing processed. I quit cold turkey. I cut everything out. Rheumatoid arthritis is about your joints getting inflamed, so I did my research and looked up foods that don’t cause inflammation.

Before I started working out, it took me 30 to 40 minutes to get out of bed because with rheumatoid arthritis, your whole body is just stiff. So, last year I decided to get a personal trainer.

What other health issues do you struggle with?

Other than the rheumatoid arthritis, I have antiphospholipid syndrome, which is an autoimmune disease that causes blood clots. It caused me to have a stroke at 26. I also have noncancerous lung nodules and really bad asthma. I have no padding on the bottom of my feet (scleroderma), so I have to use special support insoles. And I’m allergic to a lot of fruits, and some foods don’t interact well with my medications.

What is your diet and exercise regimen?

I wake up at 3:45 a.m. and eat a banana and drink a liter of water before I go meet my trainer at 5. I cook every morning before I work out. I’ll put some salmon in the air fryer and use my rice cooker to steam vegetables. When I get to work, I eat oatmeal with almond milk, bananas, and strawberries. Then for lunch I’ll have whatever I cooked that morning. I really don’t eat when I come home because I eat lunch so late. That’s Monday through Friday. Sometimes on my lunch break if the weather is nice, I like roller skating in the employee parking lot.

With my trainer, I mostly do HIIT and strength training. Not a lot of cardio. But my trainer and I do a 5k run at Memorial Park every month. I also do boot camp on Saturdays. Sundays are my rest day, but I might go bike riding around the neighborhood. I don’t want my joints to lock up, so I try to use them all every day.

How have your lifestyle changes helped with your health?

My diet has helped in that I basically just eat foods that don’t cause me to have a rheumatoid arthritis flare-up. I’ve lost about 30 pounds at this point, and I want to lose 10 more pounds.

I found that when I started working out that my body was still stiff, but I could achieve more mobility by using the muscles around my joints. Exercise for me is good for my mental health. It helps me take my mind off the pain for a little while, and it helps me redirect the pain into something that’s good for me. It gives endorphins to get through the day.

Also, I used to have to use my asthma pump three times a day. Now I use it maybe once a month.

What’s your advice to others?

You never know what you’re capable until you do it. Never give up. You’re never too old or too young to get healthy.