Hi All -
I was diagnosed in 2009 and I credit my gym regimen with my slow PD progression. Most important for me is cardio/treadmill (30min@32 every other day). Over the years my recovery time has taken longer . Now it's taking two days recovery. My question is whether I should just push through it (day after pain) or just relax an extra day (relax is a 1.75 mile walk of variable terrain)? I am 82.
Are the two days to allow for muscles and joints to recover?
Or, do you need two days for the entire system to recover from the exertion?
If it's the former and you currently only run (or principally run), you could just change what you're doing (more often). Indoor rowing, cycling, ski erging etc all provide a very decent cardio workout.
So rather than: Run..Rest...Rest..Run...Rest...Rest...Run......
This: Run..Rest..Row..Rest..Run...Rest...Cycle..Rest.. Run...
Sounds sensible
Diagnosed at 70, I am now 81. I have done some form of aerobic exercise almost everyt day since I was 32. I ran for half an hour a day until I blew a couple of disks at 56. After surgery, I switched to fast walking (4 miles an hour) for an hour every day. When my legs started aching I switched to a stagionery bike, which I use for half an hour a day, and added 10 minutes of stretches from a PT. My legs have contiued to deteriorate, and I can barely walk the dog without pain. My neurologist doesn't think the problem is PD, but spinal stenosis. I am going for an MRI next week. I cannot say that the exercoise has slowed my PD, which has progessed steadily since the "honeymoon period" ended, but it makes me feel better.
Just want to say - impressive!
very tricky question. You should continue with the alternate day regime and keep it @ 15 minutes on every other workout
Hi. Just keep up the ewalking for as long as you can. You cannot find a better way to s=deal with PD. I have had PD since 1992 and at the age of 89 I am still doing my walking and am still very active.
💪 Hi John, How long are you usually able to maintain maximum speed during your fast-walking?
I am now 89 years ols and I still manage to walk for one hour, but hav eno way of measuring how well I am doing now compared to what I did in the beginning. I just do my BEST!
Just to say thank you, I was diagnosed with Pd last August at 50 years old. I have a good gym routine and was told by my neurologist to keep it up as it the most important thing at the moment. I was so happy to read your post, that the gym works for you
I believe the recovery time depends on your bodies own inflammatory response to exercise. We need to establish our own threshold and then slowly increase this threshold over time. Exercise often - but within your limits, for a longer period of time ... rather than super intense exercise for a short time.
I am inspired reading this thread. Thank you for the hopamine!!!
Do you need to run to get benefit or is a brisk walk ok? My knees complain when I run, due to a lifetime of running..
I’m 63 yrs old and a former endurance athlete who was accustomed to lengthy workouts including long distance running, biking, swimming weight training and contact sports for many years. I’m in to my third year of being diagnosed with PD and have found the aches and pains from past sports related transgressions have been compounded by PD. I am very fortunate to have found a comprehensive Rock Steady Boxing program in New Bern, NC with an owner, board and staff dedicated to serving the PD community of which I’m a member. On off days of the traditional RSB program [that focuses on balance, flexibility, coordination, etc ], they provide access to structured strength training classes targeting specific muscle groups along with stretching and light cardio. They offer multiple levels of intensity to accommodate the various stages of PD among the members. During the past 10 months (following a difficult recovery from TKR surgery), I have gone from the least intense sessions to now attending the most intense sessions by managing my recovery time between workouts and taking a more holistic approach to managing my PD. With the RSB staff’s coaching, I also had to completely rethink my approach to exercise. The “no pain, no gain” philosophy had to be abandoned and learning to listen to my body is essential. I subscribe to the every other day more intense workouts and on the off days focus on stretching and less intense exercise - including walking that can be dialed up or down based on my heart rate variability. A good smart watch (I like the Garmin because it’s more rugged than most and the battery life lasts ~30 days) will help you monitor HRV and track time, distance etc. Cross referencing with a daily journal to document recovery can be beneficial (even though I suck at this). Staying hydrated is also important for muscle recovery and helps me curb my tendency for dry eye syndrome. I can’t emphasize a proper nutritional diet enough. Even though I live off the east coast of NC, I am a patient of Dr Laurie Mischley in Seattle and follow a protocol she tailored around my needs after doing extensive blood and hair analysis. In 8 months my inflammatory markers dropped by 85%, and all of my blood levels of are now within the optimal limits compared to other PwP.
Frank Church, a recently retired professor from The University of North Carolina Medical School [who also is challenged with Parkinson’s] posted this on his personal journey blog which offers great technical information along with interspersed humor and introspective references to classic rock music and lyrics which I especially like.
journeywithparkinsons.com/2...
That particular issue from January references studies regarding muscle damage/stiffness from exercise.
Frank concludes” their study revealed an association between flexibility and muscle injury and provided experimental proof of this relationship. In other words, those of us with Parkinson’s and a constant measure of muscle rigidity/stiffness are just more prone to muscle damage after exercise.”
This particular issue from January also referenced one study regarding the potential use of Curcumin. According to the article, “Curcumin is known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity; thus, it has been studied in many chronic inflammatory conditions. They found that taking curcumin (90-5000 mg/day) reduced muscle damage when consumed close to exercise. Curcumin decreased pain perception, reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines, and improved muscle performance.”
I personally tried Curcumin but stopped after a few months - after seeing no noticeable benefit. Dr Mischley has incorporated glutathione in my stack to help with inflammation and I have been using manitol and fish oil as well.
Also, it’s worth pointing out that Frank mentions:
“issues are all about what type of Curcumin one takes for supplementation. Curcumin has a natural lack of bioavailability due to its relative insolubleness in water and poor uptake in the intestinal tract. I would carefully read this paper about the various available forms of curcumin and that eliminating EIMD is a challenge. I take enough supplements. Several are polyphenols; thus, I am not proceeding with using Curcumin to address my stiffness and muscle injuries.”
Hope this is helpful. I find your story very encouraging and feel you should be proud of yourself for managing your PD as well as you have.
All the best to you.
PARKINSON’S DISEASE – CAUSES, RECOVERY & BOWEN
Start local Covid recovery program.
Workout Curve Ball
Eight months into good heart recovery and then , surprise surprise, hello Parkinsons! How does one affect the other?
The worst part 
