increase your gait

[testmate]

i have a german shepherd puppy ,as it grows it gets stronger and walks faster. I found many a time it walks faster than i would normally which over time has increased my stride and balance. As well walking 3 hours per day with my dog i find i meet a whole lot of new people who i often have a banter with.

[ronn]

Walking 3 hours a day, at shepherd puppy speed.. Wow!!, that's an excersize program!!

I tried it with my 8 pound silky terrier a while back, but ran into trouble. I let the dog run free to the end of his leash, with the result that she was constantly pulling me along by whichever hand held the leash. This disrupted the normal arm swing which is a balance for the normal stride, I believe it aided in the development of the Parkinson's Shuffle, complete with posture problems, a classic case of which I now am blessed..

[testmate]

i forgot about when he bolts after another dog or cat,i dig my heels in and hope for the best ,or he pulls a little more and i go into a cha cha /shuffle type run. Its all good fun and stops me from sitting around the house waiting for other developments of Parkinsons to show.

[alllowercase in reply to testmate]

careful when he approaches 30 kgs. when mine takes a full stretch flyer (14 mtrs), i dig my heels in, but always finish up leaving the ground

[Hidden]

Love this comment, ronn. It is sooo true.. My husband adn I retired to Medellin, Colombia and my daughter had given us her dog to live with us here. She has totally made a diference in my parkinson's daily battle. Walk more and faster now...of course not 3 hours like you! But thanks for the inspiration. Also, have met a bunch of new Colombian friends at the park because Lilo, our dog has dog friends there and the owners are so friendly. Good way for me to practice Spanish (great for the brain), and she is also my art agent! Thru my dog, I met the director of the music school at the park, and he arranged an art exhibit just for me...........orchestra, cocktails, flowers, invitation - the whole works!!!

[tlongmire in reply to Hidden]

That's wonderful! You never know who you'll meet along the way.

[Hidden in reply to tlongmire]

that's right - and I think she also keeps undesirables away - people w/ bad intentions tend to scared of dogs!!!

[PatV in reply to Hidden]

sounds awesome. good for you! Do you get medical care for your PD as well or do you have to go home?

[Hidden in reply to PatV]

Hi PatV,

I assume you are asking me this question, and not testmate? I tend to go off on tangents and make others go with me! lol. We applied and are now on Colombia's gov't subsidized medical system. Medicare does not provide for outside of US. What medical care do you really get for PD? I suppose I may want to get surgery in the US if needed, although they have excellent DBS surgery neurologists and top notch hospitals here. As far as neurologists, I have met one who is as good as the one I had in Seattle. But, I'm on my own when it comes to meds and there's no cure so...............therefore, I decided on my own to go on mucuna and have cut down on Sinemet drastically. SEe my earlier posts. But the real reason we opted to go outside of the US to retire is that w/ this Park. - I thought it wise to go somewhere where long term healthcare is available and affordable. I didn't want my husband and kids to bear this burden. It seems now that it won't come to that - but now, I enjoy my life-style here so much, that we are still opting to stay here.............at least for now. We have to make sure now that we spend quality time w/ kids nd grandkids at least once a year for week long reunions at various locations. Our md ins. here is $35 per month for BOTH my husband and I adn that includes all our meds that are generic.

[PatV in reply to Hidden]

Very smart, allnatural. Thanks, sounds wonderful. You might start an expat colony!

[Eileen9 in reply to Hidden]

Wow! I am impressed!

[PatV]

I would get a dog to walk if I did not have two torn meniscuses (menisci?) "healed" now. I have dystonia and bursitis in the knees and thighs. Maybe I can get a trained support dog.

[Hidden]

I hate to hear that, Patv. I don't make walking my main exercise activity - I like to do my own exercises in the water...less painful and safer. My husband joined a golf club - so now, i can go splash around in the pool there - but to tell you the truth, what gets me there is really the sauna and steamroom.lol. Most apt. buildings here include all that, but we bought a renovated apt in a 35 yr. old bldg. instead. I also opted to live in a city as opposed to a suburub because I didn't want to rely on my husband and a car everytime I wanted to leave the house. Is there somewhere you can go for water aerobics??

[testmate]

exercising in water sounds good,and i will try it at the local pool .i train with weights at the local gym .if i feel flat i change my routine to 1 warm up set then my work set completing 10 reps taking 7 seconds to complete a rep which gives me a good pump.i feel good for most of the rest of the day.i have done this routine since diagnosed 8years ago with PD.and consider myself lucky to be still doing it.

[alllowercase]

you'll find it even better when it's about a year old. i've just got back from Tottenham Marshes with my hound. a 7 metre flxi lead, a 2 ft square of hardboard, and I just reduced the normal half hour to 17 minutes. 2 bonuses. i'm not nearly in as much pain or fatigue, and Sushi is already asleep.