Dear Friend,

I was 13 years old when my dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Me being a young kid at the time, I didn’t know what Parkinson’s actually was, so I was pretty scared. But after I did some research papers on it in high school and learned about the benefits of nutrition and exercise for Parkinson’s, it gave me comfort knowing that he’ll be able to live with this disease for a long time.

Now it’s been over 10 years since my dad was diagnosed, and I’m confident he can live a healthy and happy life. There are things I try to do to help my dad and all of my siblings are very supportive of him. We want to make sure he’s staying on top of his diet, fitness routine, medications and schedule. It’s a collective effort!

There are also things I try to do to help my dad’s foundation. Growing up, I was always involved in some capacity, whether it was attending the galas or being at the golf tournaments. But in the past couple of years, I’ve been even more involved in the Brian Grant Foundation’s programs. I want to do anything I can to help my dad and support other people with Parkinson’s.

I am constantly amazed at all the things the Brian Grant Foundation does to help the Parkinson’s community, from hosting exercise and cooking classes, to training fitness professionals, to launching Team Grant, an online social network for the Parkinson’s exercise community. I’m so proud to be part of an organization that’s changing people’s lives.

I’d just like to say on behalf of myself, my family and the whole Brian Grant Foundation, thank you for your support! Without you, it wouldn’t be possible for our organization to keep the ball rolling and continue helping people with Parkinson’s around the world.

Thank you for all you do for us.

Stress, anxiety, and depression are common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Those symptoms can worsen during this time of year. With a little planning, your inner joy can shine this holiday season.

Holidays are supposed to be cause for celebration, but they’re often full of stressful demands like shopping, cleaning, baking, traveling, and hosting or attending parties. People with Parkinson’s may also struggle with feelings of loneliness, grief, anger, sadness, or self-doubt this time of year.

Instead of dreading the holidays, learn to recognize your triggers – be it financial pressure or feeling overwhelmed – and take the following steps to keep your mental and emotional well-being in check.

Acknowledge your feelings

Perhaps this is the time of year that brings up painful memories. It’s common to feel disappointed you can’t be with your favorite people, or it might be your first holiday without someone close to you. The first step to processing emotional pain is acknowledging that it’s there. Realize it’s normal to feel anger, sadness, or grief, and that it’s beneficial express your feelings.

Manage expectations

You might have an image of what you think the holiday season should be like based on past traditions, but as families grow or evolve, traditions change. Choose a few to hold on to, but be open to creating new ones. For instance, if you can’t see some of your friends and family in person, find other ways to connect, like video calls or group texts. Remember, not everything will go exactly as planned, and that’s okay!

Stick to a budget and plan ahead

Before you shopping for food or gifts, decide how much money you can afford to spend, then stick to your budget. Set aside specific days for shopping, baking, visiting friends, and other activities. Plan your menus and shopping lists ahead of time. Remember that gifts don’t have to be expensive to express your love and appreciation. Homemade goods and donating to a charity in your loved one’s name are often more impactful than ordinary gifts.

It can feel good to say ‘no’

For many of us, saying ‘yes’ when you really should be saying ‘no’ is a tough habit to break, but stretching yourself too thin can leave you feeling resentful and overwhelmed. It’s important to be realistic about how many activities you can comfortably fit into your schedule. Your friends, relatives, and colleagues will understand if you can’t make it to every project, activity, and event. They’re probably struggling to juggle their various tasks and obligations too!

Maintain healthy habits

Studies show that when you eat nutritious food and exercise on a consistent basis, you don’t just feel better, your mental and emotional health improves as well. While it’s perfectly fine to indulge in the occasional holiday treat, try not to skip too many workouts or healthy meals. Limiting alcohol consumption and staying hydrated is always a good idea, but during physically and emotionally stressful times, it’s even more vital. Supporting your mood begins with supporting your body.

Make time for yourself

Everyone needs time to unwind, especially during the holidays. Spending just 10-15 minutes alone, without distractions, can give you the rest and recuperation you need to handle all the tasks on your To Do list. Find something to do every day that reduces stress and clears your mind. This could include yoga, meditation, taking a walk, stargazing at night, listening to soothing music, getting a relaxing massage, or curling up with a good book, movie, or podcast.

Seek support

If you’re feeling lonely or isolated during the holidays, there are many organizations that can help. The Parkinson’s Foundation has a helpline that you can call to talk with nurses, social workers, and therapists. The American Parkinson’s Disease Association has an online tool to help you find support groups in your area.

Learn how to curb the cravings and stick to a healthy-eating plan while still enjoying some of your favorite seasonal staples.

This year, as you gather with friends, family and coworkers to celebrate, remember that moderation is key. You can still nosh on delicious treats guilt-free as long as you remember to stay active and incorporate healthy-eating habits.

Here are some tips for not blowing your diet during the holiday season.

Don’t show up to a party on an empty stomach.

Some people try fasting or limiting their food intake ahead of the holiday party because they anticipate they will be splurging on sugar-riddled dishes. While that’s a good idea in theory, it’s actually better to eat a nutritious meal ahead of the party.

Eating a healthy meal before you leave home will give you the energy you need to socialize, walk around, stand for long periods of time, or dance and play with your favorite people. And you’ll be less likely to overindulge on sweet treats if you don’t arrive with a growling stomach.

Bring your own healthy dish to eat and share.

If you’re worried there won’t be many healthy food options at the get-together, consider bringing your own nutritious dish. Maybe that’s a salad, a light dessert or a casserole loaded with veggies and healthy grain – the sky’s the limit.

It only takes a quick web search to learn that there are many delicious alternatives to popular holiday staples. And by bringing your own healthy dish, you’re not only showing off your exceptional culinary skills – you’re demonstrating to your loved ones that healthy food can be just as delicious with the right combination of seasoning or spices.

Don’t mingle near the food.

Partygoers tend to congregate near the bar or food tables often without realizing they’re doing it. Walk into the room with a game plan to “socialize more and snack less.” Make a conscious effort to stand across the room from where the food and drinks are.

If you’re casually chatting with someone next to a table with chips and dip, you’ll get lost in the conversation and wind up dipping too many chips. We’ve all been there! The less accessible the food and drinks, the less tempting it will be to munch on treats within arm’s reach.

Don’t be first in the buffet line.

There’s nothing more tantalizing than seeing a bountiful display of culinary dishes just begging to be eaten. But if you stall for time and place yourself in the back of the line, you’ll find that the food looks less appetizing after several people have passed through to fill their plates.

You’ll also find that most people in the front of the line probably skipped over the fruits and veggies and opted for the harder-to-resist options. By the time you reach the end of the table, you’ll find a pile of crumbs where the cookies and pie used to be.

Don’t forget water when drinking alcoholic beverages.

Consider keeping your alcohol intake on the low-end, especially if you have multiple gatherings that week. In moderation, imbibing can be fun; but remember, alcohol at any level causes inflammation, and it’s a depressant and a carcinogen. Managing your sips is important for your overall health not only during the holidays, but year round as well.

If you choose to have a drink, stay hydrated by having a glass of water after each beer or glass of wine. Better yet, start off with water or a non-alcoholic drink first.

Pop in gum or a mint after you’re done eating.

Last, but not least, make sure you keep a pack of gum or mints in your purse or pocket while you party. Freshening your breath with a gum or mint not only fights foul odors, it helps curb your sweet tooth, occupies your mouth with something other than food or alcohol, and it makes it less tempting to go back for second helpings.

Practicing gratitude improves overall health and boosts mood for people with Parkinson’s.

Scientists have found that gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with higher immune function, lower levels of inflammation, better cardiovascular health, more efficient sleep cycles and can literally change the molecular structure of the brain.

In 2008, scientists used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) — which measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow — to study gratitude. In a study, the researchers measured the brain activity of participants experiencing different emotions. They discovered that gratitude causes synchronized activation in multiple regions of the brain.

Then, in 2009, researchers at the National Institutes of Health found that subjects who showed more gratitude had higher levels of activity in the hypothalamus – the area of our brain that controls a huge array of essential bodily functions like eating, drinking and sleeping. This led researchers to conclude that gratitude can have wide-ranging effects on the body, including fewer aches and pains.

Now we know why gratitude is good for our overall health, but how does it make us happier overall? If we think about or acknowledge the many tangible and intangible things we appreciate in life, this will trigger the parasympathetic system, which is the calming part of the nervous system.

When the parasympathetic system is triggered, we experience a decrease in the stress hormone cortisol and an increase in serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin, which is the bonding hormone that makes us feel happy and content in our various relationships.

What does it mean to practice gratitude?

People can feel and express gratitude or thankfulness in many different ways. They can apply it to the past by retrieving positive memories and being thankful for happy elements of childhood.

They can apply it to the present by being thankful for what we have here and now, and not taking for granted good fortune whenever it comes our way. They can even apply gratitude to the future by maintaining a hopeful and optimistic attitude.

Here are some suggestions for practicing gratitude:

Keep a gratitude journal.

Alternatively, you can keep a gratitude jar. Start writing down one thing you are grateful for each week on a small piece of paper, fold it up and put it in a jar. Then, at the end of the year, open the jar and read through all the nice memories you had to remind yourself of all the reasons you have to be grateful.

Write someone a thank you note.

You can make yourself happier and nurture your relationship with another person by writing a thank you letter expressing your appreciation of that person’s impact on your life. Send it, or better yet, deliver and read it in person if possible. Make a habit of sending at least one gratitude letter a month to someone you care about.

Express gratitude to yourself.

Look in the mirror and tell yourself or think about some of the things that you appreciate or like about yourself. We know it sounds cheesy, but one of the best ways to practice gratitude is by loving yourself and being grateful for all the good and bad things that have shaped you into the person you are today.

Teach yourself to be more optimistic.

Think of something bad that happened to you, then write down five good things that happened as a result of this event. Let’s say, for instance, that the bad thing that happened was being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Perhaps it made you more health conscious and better at cooking. It might have made you appreciate your friends and family a little more.

There’s no limit to the ways that you can practice gratitude every day. Why not start right now? Write down five things you feel grateful for today and don’t forget to explain why. Try doing this as often as possible and even consider reading your list aloud to your friends and family. You might just inspire them to make gratitude a daily practice as well.

It’s common for people living with Parkinson’s disease to struggle with balance and movement. We’ll show you some easy sensory integration exercises to try at home that will help keep you fit and focused.

Sensory integration is the term used to describe processes in the brain that allow us to take the information we receive from our five senses, organize it and respond accordingly. Taste, touch, sight, smell and sound are all sensory experiences that our brains can decipher and react to in milliseconds.

Sensory integration develops during our first years of life and builds the foundation for more complex learning and social behaviors later on. In addition to our five senses, we have a vestibular sense (awareness of balance and movement) and a proprioceptive sense (awareness of the body in space).

The vestibular system includes the parts of the inner ear and brain that control balance, eye movement and spatial orientation. The proprioceptive system is located in our muscles and joints. Raising our arm above our head and knowing its exact placement in space even with our eyes are closed is an example of proprioception.

People with Parkinson’s may have sensory processing deficits that can cause them to have difficulty with balance, motor skills and hand-eye coordination. It’s common for them to have impaired proprioception and vestibular dysfunction, making it difficult to do things like walk, write or multitask.

The good news is that the human brain is capable of change and adaptation at any age. By strategically engaging all the senses, we can retrain the brain to take bigger and faster steps, improve our handwriting or perform multiple tasks at once.

Sensory integration exercises

Here are some examples of sensory integration exercises you can try at home. It is recommended that you first try these under the supervision of your physician, physical or occupational therapist.

1. Bend forward and pick up objects from the ground. Then bend side to side to pick up objects from the ground.
2. Change from a seated position to a standing position with eyes open. Then try it with eyes closed. Make sure you have someone nearby to assist if you become dizzy or disoriented.
3. Sit in a chair and toss a ball back and forth from hand to hand at eye level. Then try tossing a ball back and forth from hand to hand below the knees.
4. Stand behind a chair and hold onto the back of it. Lift up your right foot and balance on your left foot. Hold that position for as long as you can, then switch feet. When this becomes easy, increase the challenge by standing on one foot for one minute without holding onto the chair.
5. Stand behind a chair and imagine that you are in the center of a clock, with the number 12 is directly in front of you and the number 6 directly behind you. Hold the chair with your left hand. Lift your right leg and extend your right arm so it’s pointing to the number 12. Then, point your arm towards the number 3, and finally, point it behind you at the number 6. Look straight ahead the whole time. Repeat this exercise twice per side.
6. Using carpet or an exercise mat to protect your knees, get on all fours on the floor in a table-top position. While looking at the floor, extend your right arm and left leg at the same time. Then repeat on the other side, extending your left arm and right leg at the same time.
7. Walk heel to toe. Put your right foot in front of your left foot so that the heel of your right foot touches the top of the toes of your left foot. Move your left foot in front of your right, putting your weight on your heel. Then, shift your weight to your toes. Walk this way for 20 steps.
8. Want something more challenging? Try playing games that involve stooping, stretching and aiming. Examples include bowling, billiards or throwing darts. The key is to find something fun, safe and stimulating.

A note about Garlico, sold by Al Amir Fresh Foods; it can be found at Fred Meyer in the deli section. Sub Recipe If you do not have Garlico, then whisk together five minced cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, pinch of salt and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Mix well.

Instructions

1. Placed chopped onion at the bottom of glass dish, put fish on top of the onions.
2. Rub on fish Garlico, salt, turmeric, ½ fresh squeeze lemon.
3. Add half a bunch of chopped cilantro.
4. A few lemon slices on top.

Delicious meatless meal with wonderful flavor

*A note about Garlico, sold by Al Amir Fresh Foods; it can be found at Fred Meyer in the deli section. Sub Recipe If you do not have Garlico, then whisk together five minced cloves of garlic, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, pinch of salt and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Mix well.

Delicious green bean recipe perfect for making ahead of time.

*A note about Garlico, sold by Al Amir Fresh Foods; it can be found at Fred Meyer in the deli section. Sub Recipe: If you do not have Garlico, then whisk together five minced cloves of garlic, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, pinch of salt and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Mix well.

When brain fog has you frustrated, try exercising both your body and mind by incorporating cognitive training during your next workout.

It’s common for people living with Parkinson’s disease to experience challenges with their cognition, which is the act of mental processing. Thinking, speaking, understanding, learning, remembering, problem solving—all of these brain activities fall under the cognition umbrella.

Approximately 30% of people living with Parkinson’s disease report problems with cognition, specifically their memory and thinking ability. It’s also been reported that cognitive impairment can have just as much of an impact on quality of life as motor symptoms like freezing or bradykinesia.

What can be done to improve motor symptoms and cognition? The answer is exercise combined with cognitive training.

The medical community often talks about the benefits of exercise on the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. But it should also be noted that there are cognitive improvements that occur with a consistent workout routine.

Working out increases blood flow to the brain and strengthens brain connections. When you learn a new exercise skill such as tai chi, boxing or yoga, it not only improves how you move, but how you think as well.

Finding new ways to exercise—as well as pushing yourself to improve at the ones you already know—helps your neurons grow new connections. Before you know it, you’ve learned a new skill and improved your cognition.

On the other side of the coin, cognitive training has been proven to improve common motor symptoms for Parkinson’s disease, including freezing and bradykinesia.

Going off previous research that had identified a connection between freezing of gait and impaired attention and cognitive control, Australian researchers conducted a 2018 study where they split participants with Parkinson’s into two groups.

The group asked to complete a physical activity (walking) while also completing a cognitive task (naming the months backwards) ultimately saw improvements in cognitive function, gait and experienced fewer freezing episodes compared to the group that completed a physical activity without a cognitive task.

Exercise your body and your brain

Now that we know the life-changing benefits of combining cognitive tasks with exercise, here are some examples you can try at home.

1. Wise Walking

Set the treadmill to a walking pace or go for a walk around the neighborhood. As you’re walking forward, count backwards. Need a bigger challenge? Count backwards by 7s. As you’re walking forward say the alphabet backwards or name the days of the weeks or months backwards. Need an even bigger challenge? Turn that walk into a jog while completing those same cognitive tasks. Do you have a walking or jogging buddy with you today? Try stumping each other with trivia questions while you exercise together.

2. Around the Clock

Give the expression “turn back the clock” new meaning with this workout that aims to slow down disease progression. Create an imaginary circle in the room and think of it as a giant clock. Going in a clockwise motion, begin doing lunges around the clock. Say the name of the clock numbers as you’re lunging around the clock. Need a bigger challenge? Try going counterclockwise, starting with 12 and going through the numbers backwards. Need an even bigger challenge? Turn those lunges into burpees.

3. Simon Says

If this childhood game rings a bell, you just improved your cognition by remembering. Good job! For those who don’t, one person is designated “Simon,” while the others are the players. Standing in front of the group, Simon gives a command. However, the players must only obey commands that begin with the words “Simon Says.” If Simon says, “Simon says do a pushup,” the players must do a pushup. If Simon says, “Do a pushup” but didn’t say Simon says first, the players who did pushups are disqualified. PS: There are no limits to commands Simon can use: pushups, sit-ups, lunges, burpees, etc.

4. Red Light, Green Light

Fight back against freezing episodes with another childhood classic. The person who is “It” stands in front with their back turned. The other players stand in a horizontal line with several feet between them and “It.” When “It” calls “Green Light,” the other players move toward them until “It” spins around, calling “Red Light.” When they hear the red-light command, the other players must freeze on the spot. When “It” turns back around giving the green-light command, the players begin moving again. Whoever reaches “It” first wins and becomes the new “It.”

5. Go or No Go

In this game, participants respond to a “go” command but make no response to a “no-go” command. Let’s say you’re kickboxing. When the trainer says “Right hand – go” you punch with your right hand. When they say, “Right hand – no go” you do not throw a punch. The trainer can do the same thing with kicks by commanding “left foot – go” or “left foot – no go.” Remembering which hand to punch, which foot to kick, and when not to punch or kick as the trainer speeds up their commands is tricky for anyone, so don’t be hard on yourself if you fall out of sync.