Vigorous Exercise

This presentation explains some concepts regarding exercise for Parkinson's Disease, explaining how exercise intensity is measured and why it matters, and the concepts of vigorous intensity exercise and forced exercise ...

We've created a PowerPoint video presentation detailing exercise recommendations and related research for people with Parkinson's Disease. The presentation slides can be viewed interactively below: This is an embedded Microsoft Office presentation, powered by Office Online. The presentation slides can be downloaded by clicking on the image below: ...

There was a recurring theme in some of my dreams when I was younger...I'd try to run, but despite my best efforts, I was unable to make any forward progress. It was never a situation where I was running away from something, more like I was trying to run toward something. I'd get frustrated, trying to move my legs faster, but I would seem to be running in place. After some period of frustration, it would hit me…I’d remember that I could fly, I just needed to use my arms. Flying dreams were the best. I'm certain these dreams were ...

Neil Sligar's story is worth checking out. Diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1998, he began a vigorous exercise program in 2000. He wrote about his experience after 10+ years. There are at least 3 articles and 2 interviews worth viewing. A write-up after 8 years describes his approach: http://katekelsall.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/09/lifting-the-wei.html Setting small targets has been critical to my improved performances. Focus on tiny gains in the near future rather than big goals in the long term. You can surprise yourself how far you reach. To mark 10 years of intense exercise, he wrote a follow-up article at http://katekelsall.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/01/parkinsons-disease-and-intense-exercise-neil-sligars-10-year-experience.html Here are a few ...

I've been working hard to regain the strength in my right arm that Parkinson's took away from me. I'm making progress. Weight training is a key ingredient in these efforts. It is important to stress that vigorous exercise is not all about cardio, in fact, weight training is a key component. More specifically, I'm referring to weight training as a progressive resistance exercise. This is a strength training method in which the load is gradually increased to allow muscles to adapt. The body adapts to exercise and needs to be constantly challenged in order to continue to grow and change ...

I've started this topic to collect references to studies that explore the neuroprotective benefits of vigorous exercise to slow the progression of Parkinson's Disease. Let's start with a few quotes from the National Parkinson Foundation ... Research has shown that exercise can improve gait, balance, tremor, flexibility, grip strength and motor coordination. ... There is a strong consensus among physicians and physical therapists that improved mobility decreases the risk of falls and some other complications of Parkinson’s. ... Beyond this, we know that people who exercise vigorously, for example by doing things like running or riding a bicycle, have fewer ...