The ABC World News story on 3/5/08 about the boxing-based fitness program in Indianapolis for people with Parkinson's is now available on youtube. It's the next best (or worst ... lol ... been there) thing to being there ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK7wJt1EmRQ

enjoy!
paula

Folks in Tucson are planning to start up a boxing group!!!

Jean B

Apart from exercise for cardio/respiratory and muscle fitness, I would strongly urge people to think of doing very simple things in different and varied ways than usual. You will be surprised at what a difference it makes to your functionality.

For example, instead of using a dishwasher, wash the dishes by hand. This is really important because there are many movements with the fingers, hands, arms that you can peform in novel ways that break with habitual pathways.

If you are righthanded, pick up the dish with your right hand and scrub it with your left hand, then reverse the rotation of the scrubbing action. Then turn the plate over and reverse the whole operation. You will be very inefficient in the beginning, but then you will notice strange things happening to your body.

Wear a bracelet on your non-dominant wrist to remind you to use it first when reaching out to do something. This is important if you have DBS and varied settings, so you may have to alternate dominance.

Train yourself to privilege the non-dominant side in operations. If your left foot drags, then consciously instruct it in words, by talking to yourself silently.

All of this helps, also meditation exercises where you tell your body to relax. Set aside an allocated amount of time each day to deal with this. Instruct yourself in your mother tongue, this seems to be very important. By this I mean in the structure of the language of the mother tongue - in my case it has mattered that I use VSO (verb, subject, object) as in Irish and not SVO as in English. Astonishingly, this really made a difference to me.

These things retrain your brain and get it out of bad habits.

accessed the website posted by Tena this morning (NZ time) and I could not miss the advertising banner at the top of the page promoting Barbara Walter's Tuesday Night documentary ad "Living Beyond 150"

http://abcnews.go.com/health/longevity

The U.S. is cranking up these longevity clinics and science is on the verge of extending life beyond 150. That sounds a lot more complicated than finding a cure for cancer, Parkinson's, etc. Maybe science can achieve both goals!!!

You all made, Keith and Muireann especially.
I just got back from the gym and feel great!
There's no doubt in my mind at all that exercise makes us feel more able, pliable, fit and just happier in general.
I'm definitely going to make the effort to workout like I was previously.
I've been unable to go there over the last 2 months (but not because of anything PD related.)
Cheers,
Lee