After returning to Sarasota 4 weeks ago we have been ramping up the exercise routine. The day after our return I was off to the YMCA for the pedaling for Parkinson’s class while Mara did weight training. Later we met with one of the gym instructors to get instructions on the use of the equipment and his recommendations for what I should work on to improve my PD symptoms. Then we met with a wellness coach to go over all of the classes they offer at the YMCA and which ones she thought would benefit us the most.
The result is we have added 7 more hours of exercise to the 2 hours of pedaling and our hour of PD in Motion for a total of about 10 hours a week. Our classes include Tai Chi, Yoga, Fitness Fundamentals and an aerobic fitness class. Then yesterday, we added two weeks of adult beginning tennis lessons in November since we bought tennis rackets when we got here in June thinking we would take advantage of the courts here in the Village Walk complex where we are renting.
So now the question – does more exercise = more benefits for PD patients or can I overdo it? I am trying to pay attention to how well I perform each exercise class and, more importantly, will it impact how well I do with the pedaling class. There is a correlation between maintaining 80 plus RPM and pushing my heart rate into my training zone for at least 30 minutes twice a week and a reduction in my symptoms, so this is the exercise that has to be first. Of course, the way it worked out I have two other classes on the same day as the pedaling,one before and one after. So far I have noticed some impact on the pedaling but I am hopeful that, as my overall fitness improves, the impact will diminish.
In our spare time :>) we have been to concerts at the Selby Botanic Gardens, went to the Florida Studios Theater for an evening of Improv, gone to the beach and attended a concert here in the Village Walk. During that concert we discovered that a couple from our PD in Motion Class are also renting in Village Walk – it certainly is a small world!
Oh, I did find some time to do a little fishing in the lakes around Village Walk and caught a few nice size small mouth bass. A few days ago, while fishing with some light spinning gear, I caught a trophy large mouth! After about ten minutes I finally landed the fish and luckily a couple came by and took some pictures or this would have just been another fish story! I think this might be the biggest fish I have ever caught, certainly the largest bass.
While I have your attention I want to pitch SURE-PD3, a clinical trial that is recruiting right now. This is a phase three trial recruiting 270 subjects in 60 locations across the US. The primary objective is to determine whether a moderate elevation in serum urate over 2 years slows clinical decline in early PD. To learn more about the trial, click here or on the link on the right to see the presentation and get a link to the Fox Trial Finder description with a list of the trial sites.
Well, off to exercise!
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
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