Category: Balance

FACTS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT EXERCISES…

In the May 8, 2017 online issue of Parkinson’s News Today, a “Facts You May Not Know About Parkinson’s” article includes the following information – interesting reading!

The types of exercise you choose will depend, to some degree, on the severity of your Parkinson’s disease and your overall health. According to the Parkinson’s Disease Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, the exercises should be varied and incorporate changing directions through unplanned movement, cardiovascular exercise, balance, strength training and rhythmical exercises.

Unplanned and Random Movement
The exercises listed require the person to change tempo and direction regularly. These will challenge a person mentally as well as physically as they require concentration to perform.
• Walking, hiking or jogging
• Racket sports such as badminton, table tennis, squash
• Yoga or Tai Chi
• Outdoor cycling
• Dancing
• Aerobic classes
• Marching with swinging arms
• Swimming in different strokes

Planned and Repeated Movement
These exercises are generally repeated movements that require balance. They can be performed while doing something that challenges a person mentally, such as watching a quiz show or the news, throwing and catching balls, singing, or problem-solving.
• Cycling on a static bike
• Weightlifting using light weights
• Swimming laps in the same stroke
• Slow walking on a treadmill

ADD A DIFFERENT TYPE OF STRENGTH EXERCISE TO YOUR ROUTINE!

After the fun many of us had while bowling during our April mini-fundraiser, one of our class members suggested that the people in our classes might enjoy getting together once a week at the Sunnyside bowling lanes for coffee and the exercise of bowling a string or two.

The lane use is slower on Monday mornings around 10 AM, so we’ve issued a no-reservations-needed invitation for class members to come by for coffee compliments of Sunnyside, and a whole lot of fun. It’ll be a “fun-raiser” every week! Shoe and lane rentals are the bowlers’ responsibilities, as is making new friends and enjoying time spent with the ones already known.

Location: Sunnyside Bowladrome – 176 Water Street, Danvers (same road as Bishop Fenwick High School) – 10:00 AM – Monday mornings.

Questions? Phone Linda Hall at 781-572-5918 or email her by clicking here.

 

 

INSTRUCTOR DIANNA DALY USES DANCE TO HELP MEMBERS MOVE AND IMPROVE!

People who attend instructor Dianna Daly’s Balance in Motion classes on Monday’s, Tuesday’s,Thursday’s or Friday’s regularly confirm the benefits of creating fluid and focused all-over body movements to improve balance and strength. Dianna’s professional dance background, her Parkinson’s training, and her welcoming manner make her a creative, fun, and popular class instructor.  (click here for class times and locations)

But wait! There’s more to read about the benefits of dance movement!

In the following video from a post in parkinsonsnewstoday.com, dance teacher Pam Kuntz talks about her dance class that’s aimed at people with neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

Kuntz talks with two of her clients about the benefits of the dance class and how being able to move freely makes them feel. As well as the physical and health benefits, the attendees also talk about how great it is to get out and socialize and meet other people who have Parkinson’s disease or other neurological diseases. Once into the site, click on the second picture down and enjoy both the content and the humor they share with one another!

https://parkinsonsnewstoday.com/2017/03/16/dance-therapy-helping-parkinsons-disease-patients/

 

 

 

NEW CLASS ADDED…”INTUITIVE YOGA FOR EVERYDAY MINDFULNESS”

We’re pleased to welcome yoga instructor Heather Tharpe to our Parkinson’s Fitness team!

“I began my journey as a yoga skeptic in the early 90’s. It took a few years to find the ‘right’ yoga for me. Once I did, it became my goal to find a way to draw ‘everyday people’ like myself to yoga.”

Participants in Heather’s class will learn basic yoga knowledge, postures, form and breath work, while building physical strength, flexibility and balance necessary to improve movement and posture, loosen tight and often painful muscles, and build confidence.

Comfort and safety are ensured by using a chair, wall, and other yoga props for individual variations and modifications as needed.

This newest weekly program is offered free of charge to participants. Classes are held on Wednesdays from 1:00 – 2:00 PM at the Hamilton Council on Aging, 299 Bay Road, South Hamilton.

Click here for a schedule of all Parkinson’s Fitness programs

NEW “G.O.A.L. TENDING” CLASS COMBINES PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE TRAINING

Our G.O.A.L. has always been to provide ways for people with Parkinson’s to Go On Actively Living. click here for class locations and times

We’re excited to partner with Josh Freedland, owner of Marblehead’s Brain & Body Performance of Boston, to integrate our ability-based physical workouts that include boxing with Josh’s exercise-enhanced cognitive training that empowers participants with better awareness, mental focus and decision making skills.

Quoting Josh: “Every athlete goes to the gym working on his or her body…but they don’t train their brains – why not?”

While the NeuroTracker system was not created solely for Parkinson’s disease, Josh’s segment of the program will utilize research-driven technologies and specialized combinations of both physical and cognitive training to help “re-wire” the brain, especially in those with neuro-generative medical conditions and declining cognitive function.

Location: Perfect Balance Conditioning, 63 1/2 Jefferson Avenue, Salem
When: Saturdays – 10:00 – 11:15 AM  and  Thursdays – 1:00 – 2:00 PM
To accommodate members’ schedules, especially those who are still working during the week and wanted a Saturday class, days are interchangeable.

We’re offering a FREE introductory visit! Come try us out!

Drumming…week two!

Wow! What a class we had with instructor Lauren Caso on February 2nd!

All of us played identical instruments at the same time…first the gankogui (double bell), then the axatse (gourd rattle) and finally the kagan (baby drum, although they’re not so small!) so that we are becoming more in unison as we play the various rhythms used for each instrument. We’re working on connecting all of them into an interlocking, cohesive sound.

And then it was up on our feet and learning initial African circle dance motions! Trying those steps to authentic music recorded “in the field” was an excellent balance exercise…we’re not saying it was easy, but there was a great combination of concentration and laughter! We can hardly wait to try putting it together again next week!

That old saying that good things come in small packages fits our new friend Lauren. She may be small in size, but her instructing talent and patience level is as big as her heart!

 

Good Advice from the Mayo Clinic

The following information is paraphrased from the Mayo Clinic’s web site…

When challenging yourself to create strength and flexibility, change how hard, long and often you work out. The trick is to avoid doing so much that you end up hurt or burned out. Make a smart and safe transition with these tips.

Start by assessing where you’re at now, as well as your strengths and weaknesses.

Consider:
What you already do (exercise mode), including cardio exercise and strength training
How hard you work (intensity)
How often you do it (frequency)
How long you do it (duration)
Set new goals

Next, take a look at specific, realistic goals you can set to improve your fitness level. Maybe you can jog or swim for 45 minutes, rather than 30. Or you could add flexibility exercises into your routine.

Do more
The best way to improve your fitness level is to increase your exercise intensity. Intensity refers to how hard you work. Pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone will help you to get the most effective results possible. If you exercise at a lower intensity, you’ll need to work out for longer sessions or more often to achieve the same fitness effects. In building up, first increase the frequency of your activity (number of days a week). As you become more fit, increase the length of each workout and finally the intensity.

To increase the intensity of your workout:

Move more briskly. The faster you move your body, the more work you’ll do within a given time.
Increase resistance.
For strength training, gradually lift more weight.

But don’t overdo it!
If you exercise too intensely, you run the risk of an overuse injury or fatigue and burnout. To avoid over-training, increase your total exercise time, distance or intensity gradually. Alternate hard and easy workouts from one day to the next, and build in time for rest and recovery.

Once you’ve reached a new fitness level, take a moment to congratulate yourself on how far you’ve come!

Add a little rhythm to your exercise routine…

April 29, 2014

Occupational therapist Stacy Hodges, O.T., Director, Rehab Services, Virginia Gay Hospital, Vinton, IA, offered a good tip in the spring edition of the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation’s News & Review newsletter.  Interestingly – and what caught our eye during reading – is that we already use this handy tool during some of our exercise classes!

To quote Stacy: “Since freezing occurs in part because of the body’s inability to plan movement, try strategies that make your movement more automatic. Use an interactive metronome  to establish a unique rhythm for each user. After programming the device, place it on a nearby surface. Then, perform tasks (i.e. chores or exercise) to its beat. It will help your movements to become more fluid.”

Remember those old music lesson days when the teacher set up the “tick-tock” instrument to help you keep the proper rhythm? Well, now there are free apps for the iPhone and iPad from the Apple/iTunes store (health and fitness categories). We use a free version from a particular retailer that creates a variety of different beat programs with an adjustable volume level. As with everything we offer, it’s fun…but with a serious purpose!

Bowling, Balance and a Whole Lot of Fun!

March 19, 2014

Nine bowlers and three “cheerleaders” had a wonderful time together at the Metro Bowl lanes on Foster Street in Peabody this morning!

It was our first field trip together as friends that didn’t involve attending a medical seminar or some other kind of informational event. Why did we choose bowling? It was a unanimous decision made during one of our weekly Parkinson’s exercise sessions. We were focusing on balance and stability, when someone mentioned that what we were doing was similar to bowling. That’s all it took and today’s plan was put into motion!

The Metro Bowl owners and employees were really friendly, helpful people, right down to giving permission for our members to use their canes while bowling, if balance was a concern. Those highly polished alleys are slippery, so our fun activity also provided a combination of balance, exercise and concentration. All the laughter and cheering one another on was good for exercising the facial muscles, as well as voice projection, too!

We’ll “spare” you any other puns, except to say that this idea was a lucky “strike”!

 

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