E - Exercise

EXERCISE🧠🏃🏻‍♀️ Another positive thing about getting Parkinson’s is that it gets you in shape. The first thing other parkies will tell you is to start working out as soon as possible. 💪🏼 However, not one of the four different neurologists I have seen have ever mentioned the importance of exercise. 🤔 We know from several studies that exercise can help slow progression of PD and improve both motor and non-motor symptoms, depending on type of exercise, intensity, frequency and duration. It also looks like exercise can enhance the medication efficiency and reduce side-effects. Exercise also inhibits oxidative stress and repairs mitochondrial damage and helps prevent a whole range of other diseases. I never used to exercise, and never liked it. With PD you just have to. I feel like I am in a race with my brain - as it is slowly degenerating I am trying to repair it with vigorous exercise. I’m not going to lie, it’s not easy, not always fun, and I can find a million excuses to skip. But when I do it, put in the effort and finish a workout I feel very good. I feel my medication works better - the switch between on/off becomes more faded, I sleep better and feel better about myself. A huge bonus is when you can start seeing changes in your body, feeling and looking stronger and leaner! My goal is to do some sort of exercise every day. I am not there yet, but a good week can look like this: Monday night - Yoga Tuesday - weight training with my PT Wednesday - Reformer Cardio training Thursday - Rock Steady Boxing Friday - 30 mins on the elliptical/clothes rack in my bedroom Saturday - Barre training (pilates) Sunday - Nintendo Just Dance or Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure :) ⌚️My Apple watch is my favourite motivator, reminding me to stay active during the day, log at least 30 mins exercise, to get up if I have been sitting too long, take a minute to breathe, and counting my steps and all the stairs I climb. Sometimes the watch taps me on the wrist and says: “You can still do it! A quick 15 minute walk can help you reach your goal” or “It looks like you are exercising” when I am riding my bike to work in the morning. 🏋🏻‍♀️🤸🏻‍♀️🚴🏼‍♀️