Exercising Good Judgment

CANDICE CUNNINGHAM discovered the power of fitness to manage her arthritis. Now she’s coaching others.

- Jill Tyrer

Candice Cunningham is the picture of health – and she should be; she’s a personal trainer and fitness coach for a popular audio-based fitness app. Her experience with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) taught her the value of exercise, and now Candice, 31, helps others with physical challenges get and stay fit.

But it wasn’t easy. It took a lot of work – physically and emotionally – for Candice to reach a healthy balance in life and with her arthritis.

In many ways, her RA story is familiar: She grew up healthy, active in cheerleading and dance team competition – although she hated working out, she says, smiling at the irony.

Unlike many others, her RA was diagnosed and treated early. She was a junior in college when she mentioned to her father that she had been waking up with stiff, achy feet and shoulders. Her father has arthritis – she thought it was the result of numerous injuries from racing motorcycles, but he has RA. Recognizing her symptoms, he took her to his rheumatologist, who prescribed prednisone and then a biologic that effectively controlled her arthritis – but not her emotional state.

The Emotional Punch