I have always been an advocate of exercise. I am 70 and had PD approx 9 yrs. I have been recently deteriorating more quickly. As a consequence my exercise program has consisted only of the treadmill 3 to 4 times a week and very light weight lifting.
This site has been in favor of 1 hour of exercise on a stationary bike 3 to 4 times a week at 80 rpm. I reviewed bike ratings and purchased a highly rated one for $350. It is a great bike but I have very little experience with bikes so can't be relied upon for an opinion.
I didn't believe I could ride a bike for an hour but so far have not had a problem. The bike doesn't have a RPM monitor so I rode it at what I gaged was 80-90 rpm.
I have only done riding 2 times with a day of rest in between.
I know this is to early to offer my opinion but the improvements are so material I thought I should comment.
I had depression in the afternoon every day... that is gone. I was unable to walk in balance, that is much better. A shower before had me concerned about falling now I feel stable. I had back pain that is greatly improved. My attitude is positive.
The reason I write is if you have a bike and haven't used it I would encourage you to use it. I am not suggesting you buy a bike on my 3 day experience.
I will write again in the future when I have more time using the bike.

I ride 5 miles everyday and try to walk another 2-3 weather permitting. I do a workout with Vibroswing every day, along with stretching. If nothing else it helps to keep me as fit as I can be......Hang in there

Dan. I am also big advocate in exercise. I love the Rock Steady Boxing as I have such a good group of friends to keep me motivated. We do a 90 minute workout out 3x a week. 15 minute stretching, 60 minutes exercise, 15 minute post stretch.

Key is just to exercise. Working up a sweat it good. Pulse monitor is cheap, and combined with an saturated oxygen monitor, is about $25 USD. I find 1 out of 10 do not have good readings, so free return to amazon and grab another one.

Maximum heart rate is 220-Your Age. So 180 maximum for me, but my target when riding the bike is 140. For one hour that is a great aerobatic workout. Talk your doctor first!

I had part of my lung removed due to cancer, suddenly I was back to sleeping only three hours a night! Not good, as I am starting to exercise again, the benefit of more sleep is coming back.

Texas Tom and Tomcat. Thank you both so much for replying and indicating what you do proactively to fight this disease. My Neuro told me exercise is so important in having an impact on this vicious disease. Sixty minutes did a segment with Leslie Stahl on boxing and how it stopped and sometimes reversed PD. I am in Rochester, NY and am told that we will soon have a boxing program. I intend to join. I am sure it has physical benefits but the union of fellow PD ers getting together on a regular basis with an upbeat goal has to provide motivation.
Best wishes to both of you and continue the fight!

You may want to check the Pedaling for Parkinson's thread. It sounds like you have a great attitude.

How's its going, Dan?

Mine is hardly a scientific study so one should not formulate any meaningful opinion from it. I will follow up as you requested Wendy. I tend to be over zealous when I undertake projects and that could factor into my outcome.
Almost immediately after my post I began to deteriorate. I rode every 2 days and went shorter distances at less rpm's. My strength in daily routines diminished. Today I would hypothecate that I have less than half my strength and endurance before starting this program. But I cannot say it is the result of the program....my acidic stomach is much worse, therefore hinders the drug's effectiveness. I also consumed more fiber which I find hard to dispose of. I started a supplement and I don't know whether that had a negative impact. I also introduced B-2 once a day.
There is nothing that can be concluded about the bike with all these new things going on at the same time.
Sorry,
Dan

dan,
sorry to hear about your possible progression. you might try taking 200mg regular C/L in the morning and see if that kicks in and you feel better. just guessing here. Did you get a new refill of RYTARY at the same time you started to feel worse, who knows, maybe a bad batch? again,just grasping at straws. not sure about an acidic stomach or fiber inhibiting C/L. i take 100mg B-2 once in awhile as recommended by my neuro for headaches, haven't taken any in at least 30 days but when i did didn't notice any worsening of symptoms.

this isn't going to help you now but can't wait for inhaled L-DOPA to get approved, hopefully in next year., since it bypasses digestive system you can determine if the digestive system is one possible problem. or maybe it's your pills.

ever since i was diagnosed 13 years ago, i usually progress - get worse - in a week period, it's very sudden and makes me think what else might be causing my pd to get "temporarily" worse other than pd and it usually turns out to be pd.

I think the Rotary was filled about the same time....maybe that's it. Thank you for your response. It is always so uplifting to me when someone takes the time to answer.
I have a different question for you Soccertese ..the L-DOPA that you referred to if it is inhaled that should eliminate the nausea I always get but the question I have is when the Levodopa goes directly to the Brain how long could it last compared to slowly being assimilated through the stomach. Wouldn't you have to constantly inhale it? Have you heard a tentative date for it's approval?

Sorry I misspelled Rytary