People living with Parkinson's disease have several good reasons to exercise. These include general fitness and health, combating the progression of the disease and maintaining and developing skills that make it easier to live with Parkinson's.
Additionally, exercise can have a positive effect on mood. While Parkinson's isn't currently curable, exercise can help improve many of its symptoms.
Exercises for people with Parkinson's focus on balance and precision movement as well as creating strategies for coping with some of the aspects of Parkinson's that impair mobility. There are many, many exercises that are appropriate for people with Parkison's disease and it is even possible to create your own as long as it safely allows you to address both balance and motion.
Four general exercises for people with Parkinson's are:
1. If you experience the feeling of your legs being immobile, focus just on lifting the toes as if you were peeling your foot off the floor. This should help eliminate the muscle spasm and restart the process of walking. In fact, when walking in general, it is always good to lift the toes first deliberately, to associate this movement with freer motion.
2. When walking, swing your arms. This is good for everyone, whether you have Parkinson's disease or not. For a Parkinson's patient this will provide momentum that will take stress off your legs, help with balance and make sure you aren't tensing your back and shoulders.
3. To improve balance extend one leg in different directions, returning it to the floor between each motion. For example, pick up your right leg and hold it out in front of you for ten seconds or as long as you can. Return to standing on two feet. Then extend this same leg out to your side for the same length of time. Return to standing on two legs.
Finally, hold the leg out behind you, before returning to standing position. Then repeat the exercise on the left side. This will help you build strength, feel more secure in your stance, and provide practice for returning to a balanced position on both feel should a brief loss of balance upset your stride.
4. To improve agility without having to also focus on balance issues at the same time practice marching, but while sitting in a chair. Try to maintain good posture and allow your arms to relax to your sides. Raise your feet at least six inches off the floor.
Practical tasks that provide valuable exercise for people living with Parkinson's are:
1. Buttoning and unbuttoning a shirt. Not only is this a valuable daily skill that can be difficult for people living with Parkinson's disease in general, but it will help enhance your dexterity.
2. Reading aloud is excellent practice for controlling your facial muscles. Do not be afraid to over enunciate -- this is a workout; not a performance.
3. Practice pouring water from one cup to another, trying to spill as little as possible.
4. Getting in and out of chairs is also an occasion for exercise for the Parkinson's patient. Rise from a chair quickly, using the arms to assist you. When sitting, practice going as slow as possible -- this builds strength, accuracy and balance.
When practicing exercises related to Parkinson's disease consider doing 15 - 20 repetitions or working on a particular task for 10 - 15 minutes a day. Become so many common tasks can be turned into exercise for someone living with Parkinson's, you have the option of varying your exercise routine. Key exercises in each area: mobility, dexterity and balance should be done daily, but they don't always have to be the same exact one.
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