Exercise is good for you

It seems to be generally accepted that  exercise is good for you. It is self evident. Regular exercise improves strength, fitness, mobility and physiological functioning as well as increasing  life expectancy. In addition to the physical bonuses there are gains to be made in mental well being. Just one small ‘dose’ of exercise can completely change one’s mood. One minute you feel down and  the next, after a bout of seated, vigorous shadow boxing, your grim demeanor is transformed into a smile. With a personal history of half a century of regular running, the only downsides to exercise I have observed are injury and wear and tear. Knee problems seem to be a self inflicted occupational hazard for runners.

Exercise is half the treatment for Parkinson’s?

It is also axiomatic, that the same improvement in general health can be gleaned by those of us with long-term illnesses like Parkinson’s. In other words there is no reason to think you should not exercise ‘just’ because you have Parkinson’s unless of course  your  doctor recommends otherwise for medical  or safety reasons. I would even go so far as to say that for me, exercise is half the treatment for Parkinson’s.  Now, that is quite a claim. But how do I know?  Well, it’s quite simple.  If I stop exercising, I feel worse.  I am no scientist but I know enough about the rules of empirical observation to know  that you can’t  formulate a general rule for  the whole population from a sample of one. Exercise might work as a treatment  for me, but that doesn’t mean it will work for you. You hear examples of this kind of erroneous reasoning every day on chat shows or in put-the-world-to-right bar room politics when support for a point of view is based on a sample of one.  For example,  that ‘smoking never did my Dad any  harm and he lived until he was ninety-seven’ so it’s OK for you.  But in the case of exercise and the treatment of Parkinson’s, I am inclined to take the view of Dr. Bastiaan R. Bloom of the
Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center in the Netherlands that “I’m a strong believer that single cases can provide crucial evidence” . Surely, this is what advocacy is all about; telling the world how it is for you. So do you think exercise is half the treatment for you?

Incorporate exercise into your routine

I can certainly recommend it. But that’s OK for me. I have always exercised; it has
been part of my life-time routine and yet after all these years I often find it hard to get motivated. It is an accepted truth in running circles that the hardest part about running is getting out of the door. Once you are out there, you enjoy  it and it does you good. But for those of you who have never exercised, how can I expect you to make such a massive life-style change to incorporate exercise into your routine. Surely the incentive is enormous. The knowledge that here is something you can try which doesn’t involve
filling your body full of drugs, which for some of us acts like a treatment, should be ample motivation.  So, what can you try? The answer is simple; absolutely everything from simple walking to running, from dancing to yoga from swimming to tai chi. Choose something you will enjoy, then make it a habit.

Cycling can improve symptoms dramatically

One sport which has been making  the headlines recently, is cycling. Not only does it make you feel good and generates all the benefits of exercise, but it seems that it  can improve symptoms dramatically. Not only that, but pwps with severe freezing, slowness of movement and lack of mobility can,  without assistance, once helped onto a
bike pedal off confidently and perfectly safely. http://youtu.be/aaY3gz5tJSk    Dr Bloem said, bicycling offers patients an opportunity to be symptom-free while they are riding, to look and feel normal, and to get some real cardiovascular exercise even when their disease is so far advanced that they cannot walk. Dr. Bloem said one explanation for the finding might be that bicycling uses a different part of the brain than walking and might not be so severely affected by Parkinson’s disease. Or it might be that the rhythmic pressure of the pedals on patients’ feet cues the nervous system to allow a
cycling movement.   I am of the opinion that the regular rhythmical  asymmetrical action of  turning the pedals  on a bike, act as a repetitive cuing trigger, one leg cuing the other; a perpetual motion  demonstration at its  best.  In addition, forced stationary bicycle pedaling therapy at a high steady cadence (RPM) has recently been shown to significantly reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Dr. Jay Alberts, a researcher at the Cleveland Clinic, in a paper presented in Paris, June 15, 2009, reported that Parkinson’s  patients, who were forced to pedal at a high steady rate (80-90 RPM) showed a 35% improvement in motor function. http://youtu.be/dJoTYLrm1Ak
Two years ago on our second Pedal for Parkinson’s  Lands End to John O’ Groats cycle ride, John, one of our team, astonished the congregation at York Minster when he had
to process down the isle on crutches.  We were guests of honour of the Mayor and Sheriff at  the annual Cycle Service, part of the national Bike Week celebrations. We could  feel the questioning eyes in the packed cathedral, all enthusiastic cyclists, asking, how John could cycle a 1000 miles when he couldn’t even walk.  But he did.  On a bike he was as strong as the  rest of the  team.

In summary:  

1. When I cycle I don’t feel to have Parkinson’s.  (a sample of one)
2. People who freeze when walking, cycle quite naturally. (Dr. Bloem)
3. Evidence shows that  regular cycling at high  cadence, improves motor function in Parkinson’s patients. (Dr Alberts)

There is little doubt that exercise is good for you, even if you have Parkinson’s  and in
particular, cycling seems to offer additional bonuses. Why not try it.  If you don’t feel strong enough or safe enough for a traditional bike, then pedal on a gym bike. If you start to enjoy  the benefits then sign in to our special register to confirm that  you too
are pedaling away Parkinson’s.