Exercise experiences

[38yroldmale]

Dx 18’, stiffness dominant, exercise 7 days a week. My neurologist said that is too much. I was in very good shape before and l exercise almost to max heart rate, but I hear that can be detrimental. I have backed off the last couple of weeks and it seems like I feel better ( or could it be placebo) I know high intensity is better but not to kill yourself. Wondering if I should cut it to 4-6 days a week and how intense? Maybe there is too much of a good thing. I know high intensity can alter the trajectory of PD.

[laglag]

This is my opinion....High intensity 4 days a week and 1 or 2 days do something light to keep yourself moving and 1 day of rest. I just saw this on the internet...Exercise Tips:

Experts recommend that people with PD, particularly young-onset or those in the early stages, exercise with intensity for as long as possible as often as possible. Your doctor might recommend an hour a day three or four times a week, but most researchers think that the more you do, the more you benefit. 🥊

[MBAnderson]

which exercise are we talking about and at what pace?

[laglag in reply to MBAnderson]

Basically any exercise that is high intensity ie boxing, cycling, cross training....Things like yoga, Tai Chi and walking will help, as long as you are moving & not being a couch potato. 🥊

[MBAnderson in reply to laglag]

I was asking 38yrold, but I agree with your first reply -- the more. the better.

[38yroldmale in reply to MBAnderson]

I usually do 30 min of strength training with 45 minutes cardio every other day, other days at least one hour of cardio, stair stepper, cycle, or elliptical. I sometimes boxing, but go so hard that I won’t work out for a couple days after because I would be so sore.

[MBAnderson in reply to 38yroldmale]

Sounds like a good regime to me.

[Jana86]

I too bought the "as much as you can as often as you can" messaging so for five years after dx lived with a lot of joint and muscle pain and was always exhausted but held off progression fairly well. Two years ago, my heart started to Afib during exercise and my ability to exercise intensely has declined steadily since then coupled with increased PD progression. I find cardiologists are reluctant to treat me due to Parkinson's and trainers are afraid of the heart issues. It is a bit of a nightmare actually. Listen to your body....a workout that exhausts you and leaves you in pain is too much.

[gginto in reply to Jana86]

Very true for me. If I push it too hard me, at about 45 mins heart starts skipping irregular and I need to stop- upsetting for me cause I was always a cyclist- biking often several hours on the saddle. It's like a catch 22- exercise keeps pd at bay...but now this AFib doesn't allow me to reach peak performance! I've been taking Magnesium and seems to help some.. So now I do min 45 minutes power walking/cycling and lift weights ..almost daily. btw, If I get a lousy sleep, it totally effects my workout strength , so I'm trying to not go on the computer before bed

[Jana86 in reply to gginto]

Exactly. I have cardiac appts. in the next month or so to look at the Afib more closely and perhaps treat it.

[Mimer]

I have not seen any convincing evidence of that high intensity aerobic excercise is better than low or moderate intensity (high cadence seems to be more important though). But my own opinion is that you should have 2-3 high intensity days per week. Elite aerobic athletetes often have a ratio of 20% high intensity and 80% in low or moderate intensity. The reason for keeping the amount of high intensity low is to give the body enough time to recover. Without recovery the high intensive excercise will not be high enough and the risk of injury increase.When it comes to resistance training I believe in strong signals to the muscles and strong sensory feedback. Progressively move to heavy weights and incorporate movements and lifts that also challenge your balance. I think free weights are a better option than machines.

[billPD]

Primarily stiffness and rigidity. I find that I need to ground myself. Standing with my weight evenly distributed on both feet with my toes separated and flat not curled. I have difficulty moving laterally and backwards. I use 20lbs in each hand while I do side steps and backwards steps. I recently purchased a leg stretch machine to help with flexibility

[Smittybear7 in reply to billPD]

What kind of leg stretch machine do you have? Thanks for sharing.