myparkinsons.co.uk

Body Talk – Exercise and
Parkinson’s

I have a background in engineering and
to me the body is a hugely complex machine.

Let me relate a short story – a factory
had a machine that was critical to their manufacturing output. One day it broke
down and despite many people spending many hours trying to carry out repairs it
just wouldn’t run. The engineer that had designed and built it had been made
redundant and was contracted on a consultancy basis to come back in and help to
make it work. He spent a couple of hours and then took a stick of chalk out of
his pocket and put an “X” on the machine indicating the part that was the
problem. The machine was soon up and running so the engineer submitted his
invoice – £50,001. The management team queried this and asked for a breakdown to
which he replied that the £1 was for the stick of chalk. And the £50,000?
Knowing where to put the “X” came the reply.

In a nut shell no one has really known
where to put the X in PwP which has resulted in a bit of stagnancy with
treatments, however, there are some really exciting developments with current
medical research and I strongly believe that the X will soon find it’s true
location.

In the meantime we keep popping the
pills.

Pill popping aside it has been shown
that above everything else exercise has great benefits for PwP. Now I’m not a
particularly good example as I tend to take things to the extreme. Remember,
something is better than nothing. If I fail to exercise (work sometimes gets in
the way) my body / mood sure tells me about it later in the day. My body craves
exercise and if I can’t do it at the gym then I have to make do with the urban
gym! Whats an urban gym I hear you say…… it’s called not taking the car to
get the paper, walking up / down stairs rather than taking a lift or escalator,
travelling on a bus – try going up stairs when it’s moving, great for balance,
don’t phone a colleague – pop over and talk face to face. Go for a lunch-break
walk. You get the idea, something is better than nothing. Keep on
moving!

Your body is actually a great
communicator of what it needs. Unfortunately we are not great listeners and
sometimes don’t interpret the signals clearly enough. For example – you feel
hungry. Nine times out of ten you are more than likely to be thirsty. Have a
glass of water and if you still feel hungry ten minutes later chances are that
your body needs food. It’s a similar thing with exercise, your body needs
periods of increased metabolism and pays you back by leaving a feeling good
sensation where you’ll be more alert (you might feel a bit tired to
start).

Try exercising / walking to music, it
sometimes seems to create a brain circuit by-pass that somehow makes it all seem
possible. Alternatively if you belong to a gym have a go at group exercise
classes and ask if you can have music playing while you exercise. The audible /
visual stimulation you get from a class can be really
beneficial.

Just a quick note about hydration. Maintaining the correct fluid balance in our
bodies is so important and has a significant effect on how it performs. After
exercise rehydrate properly and look to replace salts/minerals. Sorry about this
but you should pee a champasgne colour, darker and you are de-hydrated, lighter
and you are nearly drowning!

There are lots of exercise
alternatives, it’s all about finding something that you enjoy and works for you.
Try different things and listen to what your body is telling
you.

In no particular
order:

Tai Chi                                                       Group

Hydrotherapy / Aqua Arobics               Group

Nintendo Wii
Group or solo

Gym Classes
Group (a trainer will help personalise a routine for you)

Dancing

Group

Cycling
Group or
solo

And many more

Interestingly all the exercises listed
above are generally group based and all offer audible and visual
stimulation.

So, exercise is great for PwP, can
possibly slow progression, is possibly neuroprotective, improves posture and
works for mind, body and soul. Go for it!

Before you begin an exercise regime
consult a doctor or your specialist and they’ll be able to give you advice based
on your medical history.