I lift very heavy gluten and wheat free salad sandwiches to my mouth three times a day. the biceps (guns) are developing as we speak. Most of my workouts involve cardio. Sadly my Arnold Swarzenegger rock hard body needs a serious dose of cloned tissue to bring it up to speed.

Take care of you

dear dear howard,


well have you seen Arnold's body lately?
it looks as if he could use some too... teehee!

humour for us for today!
- luv tena

You Know You're Getting Older When...

Everything hurts and what doesn't hurt, doesn't work.


You feel like the night after, and you haven't been anywhere.

You get winded playing chess.

Your children begin to look middle aged.

You're still chasing women but can't remember why.

A dripping faucet causes an uncontrollable bladder urge.

You know all the answers, but nobody asks you the questions anymore...

You look forward to a dull evening.

You walk with your head high trying to get used to your bifocals.


You sit in a rocking chair and can't get it going.

Your knees buckle and your belt won't.

You regret all those mistakes resisting temptation.


You're startled the first time you are addressed as an old man/ole lady/

You just can't stand people who are intolerant.

The best part of your day is over when your alarm clock goes off.

You burn the midnight oil until 9 pm.

A fortune teller offers to read your face.

Your pacemaker makes the garage door go up when you watch a pretty girl go by.

The little gray-haired lady/man you help across the street is your wife/husband.

You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.

You quit trying to hold your stomach in, no matter who walks into the room.

You sing along with elevator music.

Quite often -your conversation includes you the word “What?"

You've spent five minutes standing in the kitchen trying to remember what you went in there for ?

Those Depends commercials have been catching your eye...

stuff Tena. Humour and a good laugh is just what the doc ordered.

lizzy/Paula:

I have some questions for you re: diet and how you dealt with adjustments to your meds as you progressed through the fitness/fight program. However I don't seem to be able to send you a private message. Your PD sounds a lot like the kind I have. I am profoundly affected by sugar (glucose actually) and wonder about how you progressed through this program and did you have the benefit of a nutritionist or any other support programs? How many of you stuck with the program and how often do you go work out?

It makes sense that what we don't use we lose. We have a dopamine deficiency after all, not a problem with our body per se. The problem of PD is one of collateral damage...we lose the ability to communicate with our pkg and of course our body just atrophies into nothing. How can I reach you? You could try to send me a PM and see if I can respond. Technology makes me mental!!!! ...Joy

Rosebud,
I will try to answer all your questions. Please let me know if I have left anything out.

Diet ... I really didn't make any adjustments.I have not monitored my sugar/glucose intake/level - would be interesting to do so.

Meds ... I have been able to maintain a consistent level of meds and, therefore, not increase them (which I consider a victory).

Nutritionist or support group ... I/we have not involved a nutritionist (good suggestion). I am involved with a young onset support group, Young Parkinsons of Indiana (YPI), which I co-founded and am the Prez.

How many stuck it out ... that's a tough one. Rock Steady Boxing has about 70-80 people per week in classes. Some folks start and consistently participate. Others have had to come and go and come back due to physical issues. A small percentage come and go ... I think because it is too rigorous. Most come and stay and stay and stay. We each have our own personal best to achieve. Whatever that personal best is ... we are pushed just a little more. For me that might mean 150 crunches. For someone else, it might mean 25 crunches. It's all about doing the best you can ... and then some.

How often ... I go 2 times a week because the only times for classes outside the regular work day ( I work full-time during the day) are Wednesday eves and Saturday mornings. As a PD friend said, I consider exercise to be my job. Therefore, it is not an alternative in my weekly schedule. I am very religious about the Wed and Sat classes. There is talk of starting a Monday night open gym which I would participate in when can.

I hope I have answered your questions. Please let me know if not ... or if others have questions.

lizzy4451 AKA paula

__________________

Rosebud,

I boxed with these people for about 2 months when the gym first opened. As Paula put it "it was too rigorous" for me at the time. I was not on medication then and I was just not up for it. However, you would not believe some of the people that started there and have stuck with it. They have grown so much physically, mentally and emotionally. I think for some it's like taking control of their lives. It's very powerful to feel that you are "fighting" this disease.

I'm so proud of these guys and everything they are doing for Parkies in our area. I can't wait to see how this will continue to grow and reach others.

Kudos to Scott, Vince, Kristy and Don who spend countless hours in the gym so that we can come and exercise for free. And thanks should go to people like Paula for getting the word out - they all work for one common goal - to fight PD!!

Lora

The bottom line to all this is simply: Exercise is good in the fight against PD. More vigorous exercise (if possible) is even better. The doctors seem to agree that it's more important than any drug.

My own experience: First symptoms: 1987 at age 31. So it's been approximately 20 years with this unwanted friend. I've always been very athletic, so keeping in shape was easy, especially in the early years. In the past few years I've gotten very aggressive in terms of intensity. In addition to weight lifting and range-of-motion exercises, I run on a treadmill 3-4 times a week. Of course, I have to time it just right: too dyskinetic my balance would get me in big trouble real fast. And too "low" I couldn't step on to the treadmill without assistance. But with all that, I'm proud to say that, at 51 years old and having PD for 2 decades I can (AND DO) run 3 miles each time out; the middle 2 miles I run in 16 minutes!!! That's 2 8-minute miles (duh!!).
And I just recently cut that down to 15:30.

I'm not bragging, just making the point that exercise not only works on you physically, but also mentally. Because I think the only thing that keeps me sane sometimes is reminding myself that I still have that capability, when probably most HEALTHY 51 year olds couldn't keep up with me.

But that's only for those choice chunks of time during the day when I'm that capable. The rest of the day I struggle with "on-offs," "freezing" and dyskinesia like the rest of us old-timers. BUT, BUT I think I'm in MUCH BETTER shape than I would be without all those years of exercise.

A couple of "before and after" photos to show you if someone can telll me how to attach them!

I hope this helps,
Keith

stuff Keith for a 20 year veteran of the disease. Although you're only a baby at age 51. Keep working on that mile time mate. That's gotta be some sort of Parkie record----sub 8 minute miles. My car doesn't travel as fast

BrownEyedGirl/Lora,
Thanks for your comments. NO WAY was it too rigorous for you!!! You were ... and I am sure are ... an outstanding participant/athlete. Hope to see ya back in the ring. We're there every Saturday (and other times). Rock on!

lizzy/paula

this is terrific - confirmation that exercise may be the best medicine!!

Jean B