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Do you still have access to some form of exercise?
My Dad’s Rock Steady Boxing location shut down permanently after Covid. The economic impacts of the virus forced the business to close, and he doesn’t currently have access to a local boxing gym. Do you still have access to some form of exercise? Have you had to change your regimen this year?
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4 Replies
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I don’t know if this is of interest, but I went to a gym based exercise and stretching program put on by Indiana Parkinson foundation for many years until covid hit. It was very good, lasted for 1.5 hours and only focused on pwp. (People with Parkinson’s). Very few participate in person now because of covid and the recent uptick so they are getting ready to put it on zoom. It is led by personal trainers and other qualified professionals trained to work with pwp.
There is a cost and I don’t have the start date for the online class, but you could check with them if interested at
http://www.indianaparkinson.org/
you would need a computer or tablet to participate. Maybe there are similar programs up and running now available that someone could let us know about.
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My husband has PD he is 87. We have been going to MOG (medically orientated gym) which is run by our local physical therapy group. There are MOGs in other areas (we are in Idaho) Our ph group includes a therapist who specializes in Parkinson’s. The way it is set up is you pay a fixed amount per month and can go as often as you wish. They do an initial evaluation and design a program specific to your needs. There is always someone there to help you if necessary. Every 3 months do a reevaluation. In Joe’s case a real bargain as he has dementia and needs to be guided through his programs. No increase in price. So basically has a personal trainer. Covid was a real set-back for Joe as they had to close for a while. But now open again and working on gaining back what he lost due to no meaningful exercise. Do a search online for MOG to see if there is any MOGs near you. They are spreading across the country. Twin Falls has the only one in Idaho. (aren’t we lucky)
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My husband is doing dailydosepd.com. They have many different forms of exercise designed for Parkinson’s patients. It is done by physical therapists who put their program online since COVID. First month free.
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With my gym closed and unable to run I find walking not enough. But walking uphill is a different story…huff puff. Fortunately I live at the base of a hill, 30 minutes of strenuous uphill chugging followed with pushups at the top and a nice cool-down walking back down. Not as well rounded as the gym but more relaxing and feels like a real workout.
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April Sargent is an experience exercise therapist who has been working with individuals with PD for years ( [email protected] ). April hosts a Zoom class 3 times a week from Santa Maria, California. It is an excellent class I recommend it highly.
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I didn’t have a very structured exercise program before the pandemic, but I’ve found a number of online options with programs that I can do at home with no special equipment. It’s not as socially stimulating as an in-person class would be but I can get to the class even in bad weather & never have to worry about whether my meds will be working or not. Most of the classes are recorded and can be watched on your own schedule, which is good and bad (sometimes I find I need the structure of a scheduled time). Here are a few (free) online options that I’ve appreciated: Wisconsin Parkinson Association (WPA) has a class every M-W-F morning on Facebook Live. If you miss the live class, you can watch the video later. Mary makes these classes a lot of fun, & you don’t have to live in Wisconsin to participate. She also told us about http://www.TotalHealthWorks.com which has live & recorded Brain & Body classes on YouTube so I try to do at least one of their classes every week. The 2 people who run this are a lot of fun; they are the founders/creators of the Delay the Disease program.
In addition to those 2 options, I sometimes want a non-PD exercise class so then I pull up a class from SilverandFit or from the YMCA’s ForeverWell program. There are daily Silver & Fit classes available for anyone to view; I think if you have a Silver & Fit membership through a Medicare plan, you get access to additional classes. Silver Sneakers is similar & I see that they’re allowing free access to their videos through 12/31. The ForeverWell program appears to be limited to YMCA members.
I’ve also participated in some voice therapy/exercise classes. The Parkinson Voice Project has a class on Facebook (recorded & live). And ADPA has a weekly sing-along class called Sing Loud that meets for an hour via Zoom every Wednesday afternoon. I hope all of this is helpful.
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If anyone is in need of a workout program I teach both Rock Steady Boxing and Mindfulness Yoga for Parkinson’s on an interactive Zoom Class. If you are interested please contact me at [email protected]
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