anyone feel WORSE with exercise?

[india245]

exercise seems to be recommended as the number one, two, three and four recommendation for coping with and slowing the progression of PD.

my experience is that I feel worse the more I do. Even if I do something gentle, such as seated Qi Gong designed to energise the body I feel depleted and exhausted.

I am coming from a background of chronic fatigue, and I wonder if anyone else is dealing with both these conditions and how they navigate the exercise component.

Sometimes I have to spend days or weeks in bed, and I honestly don’t feel any worse and my symptoms do not get worse. This seems quite odd with everything I am reading about the importance of exercise.

anyone else experiencing something similar? 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Grumpy77]

If I may ask, what are your primary PD symptoms apart chronic fatigue?

I too suffer from chronic fatigue and don't do too well with either very heavy exercise or light exercise, though I do have my good days. I'm experimenting with various vitamins and supplements to energise me up

[TenaciousBlue]

I feel better from exercise with the exception of weight training my legs. Oddly enough, my right leg shakes after every leg weight training session and then it goes away. I also don't have tremors with my PD (extreme stiffness, slowness and lack of fine motor control though). Keep exercising!

[SAGoodman]

My chronic fatigue was due to sleep apnea, was on CPAP until I lost weight which negated it's use.Exercise, especially high intensity always makes my tremor worse directly after, but subside after a couple hours. Absolutely recommend some form of exercise , does the most benefit for me!

[JayPwP]

I think you should look into ways and supplements which repair mitochondrial dysfunction.. NAC, Melatonin, Fasting, etc.

[kaypeeoh]

So for PD, the heart of the problem is "mitochondrial dysfunction." So it makes sense; mitochondria produce energy. And allows one to leap buildings with a single bound. I've read that intense exercise stimulates the body to produce dopamine. If dopamine makes you feel better then that might confirm the need for mitochondrial assistance.

Intense exercise means your heart is working near its maximum amount. I found sitting in a sauna gets my heart rate near its maximum. I tested with a heart rate monitor. At my age--68--I've determined that my maximum heart rate is around 150 beats per minute. 90% of max is 135. So sitting in a sauna for 15 minutes should get your heart rate to 135 or so.

I no longer have easy access to a sauna. I bought a portable sauna that I sit in and zip up to my neck. It doesn't seem to push my heart rate to its max. So I use a treadmill. I follow a protocol developed by Dr Mercola. Running at 15% grade gets my heart rate to its max.

But that doesn't help the OP. So sauna might be the answer? Sit in the sauna and count heart beats with two fingers over the wrist crease?

[Mayley]

In brief, I think we all have to listen to our own bodies. PD is a different disease for each of us. And many of us have other health problems. Early on I didn’t feel like walking was good for me. At some point I started doing aerobics but not for a long period of time. That was good. Later I was having bad thyroid problems and despite seeing a specialist I couldn’t resolve it and ended up stopping the aerobics. I was burned out too from caring for my mother at home without enough help.

What is good for one person might not be for another. I think you are doing a good job trying different things to help yourself and keeping track of your body’s reaction. You don’t mention what your doctor says and recommends.

I wish you luck on this difficult journey. May your good days be many!

[Quesnel]

I too find that the more I exercise the more depleted my muscles become and they do not adjust to it as they did before pd. My father experienced the same thing with his pd.

[MPPD]

I started HIT exercise 6 months ago using both treadmill and bike (1 min as fast I could to get heart rate to 85% of maximum predicted heat rate and than did 1 min at a much slower pace to get my breath. I did this for 30 minutes in total on both pieces of equipment 3 x / week. Initially it was extremely hard as I was so unfit but now, 6 months later it is so much easier and I enjoy it. When I first started I could barely walk out of the gym and the rest of the day was spent on the couch relaxing. I also found my right would shake when my heart rate got to its 85% of maximum. To help I try and time my meditation so I am fully on. If not fully ‘on’ my performance would be lacking even though i was sweating madly. Despite my doctor advising not to take extra dopamine prior to exercise I do. I add 50mg of levodopa 1 hr prior to exercise so I am fully ‘on’. This makes a huge difference to my performance and enjoyment of doing the exercise. I found articles on PD and HITT from some universities in USA and their studies recommended HIT for ~30. Min provided you get HR to 85% of maximum (do a general google search). Now that my cardio is excellent I do 30 min on bike and 45min on resistance/ weight machines. Again I push myself hard …. No point going if not prepared to push yourself… that’s the take home points from the abstracts I have read… I have been exercising now for ~7 months and going strong… good luck

[Esperanto]

I understand that you're feeling tired from the exercises, but I want to encourage you to reconsider the importance of medication, such as levodopa. In another post you wrote that you didn't take that. Regular physical activity is crucial for people with Parkinson's, but without the right medication, your fatigue and symptoms may worsen.

Many individuals experience significant improvements in their energy and mobility with levodopa. I recommend discussing your symptoms and medication options with your doctor. It could make a big difference in your well-being.

Take care of yourself!

[Jandeb]

s sometimes I feel OK during exercise, but then very tired after exercise. Probably has something to do with mitochondria.