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 shaking a little. It did this on its own without my trying. I just put it out of my mind. A few days later it happened again and weeks passed between the events. We were going to move 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 affirmed my suspicion that I had Parkinson’s disease!
He advised me to wait to start taking medications for my symptoms so they could present themselves more clearly. I soon found a support group for Parkinson’s disease 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 with exercise.
Then I started reading everything I could about PD and what happens in my brain while I exercise. That was the interesting part, as it seems that if I exercise my brain and body, the symptoms of the disease will not be able to gain ground. I also heard from many people with PD who are also fighting it with exercise. 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 increase our walking by walking in the morning and in the afternoon. We generally cover about four miles per day. We move as fast as two 82-year-olds can. 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 large store like Walmart, Home Depot, or Lowes, where they have wide aisles and plenty of space. Get in the habit of never missing your daily walks. We found that two hikes are better than one as we don’t tire after the first and look forward to the second hike later.
Now for the brain.
You need to get the brain to do some exercise. I think the best mental exercise for me is solving crossword puzzles. Sudoku is another quiz that makes a person use their brain to solve puzzles. Puzzles, word coders and cryptograms will put a person’s brain to the test. Puzzles are excellent homework masters.
If you’ve 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 fighting it, the people I know and know hardly know that I have Parkinson’s. Try these exercises for the body and brain!