Ten years ago, when I was 72 years old, I first felt the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. I noticed that my third finger on my right hand was trembling a bit. He did this on his behalf without me trying to do it. I just erased it from my mind. A few days later it happened again and weeks passed between occurrences. We were moving to the west coast and as soon as I found time I found a family doctor and told him what I had discovered. He arranged for me to see a neurologist who confirmed my suspicion that he had Parkinson’s disease!
He advised me to wait to start taking medication for my symptoms so they could present themselves more clearly. I soon found a support group for people with Parkinson’s and began attending their meetings. From these meetings I began to better understand what this disease is all about.
- First of all, many people suffer from it as well as other diseases similar to Parkinson’s.
- There is no cure for the disease.
- The disease can be kept at bay through exercise.
Then I started reading everything I could about PD and what happens in my brain while I exercise. That was the interesting part since it seems that if I exercise my brain and body, the symptoms of the disease will not be able to gain ground. I’ve also heard from many people with PD who combat it with exercise as well. So this is what I do to keep fighting this disease.
Walk and walk some more.
Walking is the best exercise a person can do for their health. I am very fortunate to have a wonderful wife and partner who has walked with me for years. We augmented our walk by taking a morning and evening walk. We generally cover about four miles a day. We move as fast as two 82-year-olds can move. The important thing is to do it every day. If it’s raining, wear a raincoat or use an umbrella. If it’s cold, wear a suitable coat. If you’re doing all of that, head to a mall or big box store like Walmart, Home Depot, or Lowes, where they have wide aisles and plenty of space. Get in the habit of never missing daily walks. We found that two hikes are better than one as we don’t get tired after the first and look forward to our second hike later.
Now for the brain.
You need to give the brain some exercise. I think the best mental exercise for me is solving crossword puzzles. Sudoku is another test that makes a person use their brains to solve the puzzles. Scrabble puzzles, word scramblers and cryptograms will put a person’s brain to the test. Puzzles are great homework masters.
If you have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, worrying and looking on the dark side will get you nowhere. Fortunately, there is an answer. After 10 years of battling it, the people I know and meet barely know I have Parkinson’s. Try these exercises for the body and brain!