Quote:
Originally Posted by Nan Cyclist
I think it's amazing that you can do an elliptical at that rate, even for a short time. If you have access to a bike, the 80-90 rpm for 40-60 minutes should be a piece of cake.
I have a new theory, purely based on my own experience, not tested scientifically. My extreme reduction in symptoms happened when I went over the top while training for RAGBRAI last spring. Rather than 3 times/week at 80-90 rpm for 40 minutes, I rode 4-6 times/week at 80-90 as best I could for anywhere from 1.5-4 hours, slowing for hills and taking a few rests. I was so worried I wouldn't make it across Iowa in RAGBRAI. Knowing there were hills on the ride (22,500' elevation gain in a week), I also rode up and down hills some days instead of doing the long rides. The hill near my house has 200' elevation gain in .8 miles. I told myself I could do it 10 times in a row. The most I achieved was 4, but it was still a great workout. By the end of a month, my PD symptoms were nearly gone. Since RAGBRAI, I have done more of a maintenance routine of the 1.5 hour rides outside or 1 hour on the bike trainer inside and have seen continuous improvement in my mental functions as well as my physical capacities. Lately I'm noting a little cramping in my foot and third finger on my right hand, nothing to whine about.
So I'm wondering if there is a neuron-building threshold that can be reached by extreme cycling and then maintained and enhanced through further cycling exercise. It might be worth trying.
Please, what view count are you referring to?
|
Hi Nan,
Sorry the view count tells you how many times a post has been looked at-far right column- you have the current number of replies and next to it is the number of views- this topic is at 1,075!
I am not far from where you will be; I am in Ann Arbor, maybe 45 minutes from Highland, MI. Is April 27th the only day you will be in town?
I think you may be on to something in noting that exertion or workout intensity may have made a difference for you. I loved running and would easily go 3K a run prior to my diagnosis...then that 'mysterious' foot cramping appeared and the adaptations to PD started then. I went for nine years with no medication from my first appearance of tremor, so I am beginning to think that those years of more intense exercise helped me. I only became more sedentary because PD kept forcing me to shorten my workouts to the point where I felt it was not beneficial from a cardio standpoint at all
I am beginning to wonder if achieving an optimal heart rate or "zone" during workout is what helps? Obviously, it has to go beyond only one form of exercise and measures like rpm. There is a man who has lived with PD for over 20 years and he continues to run marathons- his story is in this
USA Today article He too notes how he is doing better than other he knows with PD for same number of years and thinks it is due to intensity of exercise. Does Dr. Albert address this or will he be researching it further?
All of this is very encouraging, and means that I better get up to that 40 minute mark while I still can easily maintain the right speed. Just to note that before I was medicated, I was in the 50-70 rpm range on a stationary bike- this, I think, is consistent with most PD participants in research.
Laura