Your Move Fitness

Parkinson's disease disrupts rhythm. And sometimes PD obliterates rhythm, battering it beyond recognition. But, we don't have to accept it this way. Working to maintain mind-body connections is well worth the effort ... if you call music, dance, sports, games, or the like, effort. I'm learning every day, but I'm grateful to be able to share my approach to coping with PD as of today. Today, now, is all I really have. I hope this video somehow helps ease your Parkinson's burden: ...

When my PD medication wears off, I struggle. But there are times that I actually enjoy the challenge of moving that I face after 11 years of living with PD. There’s a reason they recommend exercising when your medication is working and you are on. But, I also find satisfaction in challenging my body when the meds wear off. There are a surprising number of ways around my body's persuasive argument that it just can't do what I'm asking it to. Unfortunately, it's rarely easy. Falling can, and sometimes does occur, and I try to learn from it. As the ...

Someone once told me that laughter was the best medicine. I think it was the claims reviewer at my health insurance provider. Thanks to carbidopa/laughadopa therapy, I can repurpose so many of my Parkinson's symptoms to treat other symptoms, that the worse my PD gets, the better I feel. ‘Off’ time can be repurposed as meditation time. Loss of smell/taste can be useful, if not absolutely essential, in eating healthier. Soft voices give an excuse to shift attention and become better listeners. Periods of freezing can be research/self-analysis of how fear holds us back in other areas of life ...

Gavin Mogan has lived with Parkinson's for 11 years, and finds exercise and a positive attitude essential to maintaining a good quality of life. He is also a certified personal trainer in Richardson, Texas, offering personal and group training, with a particular focus on helping others battling Parkinson's or other health issues. Gavin's website is https://yourmove.fitness. [Update: Gavin is also now a contributing author on this website. View his contributions here: http://parkinson.fit/author/gavinmogan] Gavin recently traveled to Uganda, to learn from, and to offer support to a Parkinson's advocacy program in that country.  On his blog, he wrote about this experience, sharing ...