Considering the many health benefits of hiking and Nordic walking for people with Parkinson’s, the next time someone tells you to “take a hike,” you should thank them for the suggestion!
Walking is like any other life necessity such as eating or sleeping. It’s fun to do alone, and it’s also fun to do with a companion.
For people with Parkinson’s, walking every day can drastically improve your ability to live an independent and fulfilling life. Research has found that just 20 to 30 minutes of brisk walking daily can help Parkinson’s symptoms, such as gait, balance, tremor and flexibility.
When you walk outside, you’re experiencing subtle changes in the terrain that test your balance and cognition, such as walking on uneven surfaces and navigating turns. There are also the mental health benefits of being outdoors. So why not give hiking a try?
Benefits of hiking for Parkinson’s
Hiking is good for anyone’s health, regardless if they have Parkinson’s disease.
Depending on the length and intensity of the trail, and the steepness of your incline, you’re in for a powerful cardio workout that can lower your risk of heart disease and improve your blood pressure and blood sugar levels, while filling your lungs with fresh, clean air.
Since hiking is a weight-bearing exercise, it improves bone density and strengthens your core, glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings. It’s one of those “one-stop-shop” workouts that build multiple components of fitness (cardio and strengthening) simultaneously.
Adding to the fact that you’re taking in the mesmerizing sounds of wildlife and some of the most scenic views Mother Earth has to offer—be it forests, mountains, deserts, waterfalls, rivers or creeks—hiking nourishes the mind, body and soul in ways no other workout can.
To engage the upper body further, consider hiking with trekking poles. These are basically ski poles with handles. They keep you from falling when going uphill or downhill, or crossing streams, and they also help take some of the load off the joints.
While some people prefer hiking with one pole, it’s safer for people with Parkinson’s to have two because using only one pole on one side of the body will reinforce balance issues. Using two poles helps strengthen the upper body muscles and achieve both spinal rotation and elongation, thus improving a stooped posture.
Going on a hike? Put these in your backpack
First aid kit.
Safety comes first. You need to have essential medical supplies available in case of an injury. Prepackaged kits contain most of what you need at a reasonable price. And they’re small and light enough to fit in a backpack.
Water and more water.
Bringing a water bottle is a given for any hiking excursion. Two bottles might be better if you have Parkinson’s. You need the extra H2O to tackle common PD symptoms like dehydration and hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating.)
Snacks.
You can’t exactly make a pitstop at the supermarket when you’re in the middle of the wilderness. Pack something light and healthy (energy bars, trail mix, fruit and veggies, etc.) that will give your body the fuel to keep going without feeling sluggish.
Portable cell phone power bank.
You know that feeling of panic when your phone’s battery dies? That is amplified by 1,000 percent when we’re out of civilization’s reach. Make sure you have an extra battery pack. Or charge your phone completely before heading out into nature.
Compass and a map.
You can’t always rely on your phone having service when you’re on hike. No service means no Google Maps. Think back to your bygone days of Cub Scouts and have a compass and trail map as backup. If you’re just starting out with hiking, choose easy, short trails.
Benefits of Nordic walking for Parkinson’s
Nordic walking amplifies the movement of ordinary walking in order to produce gains in speed. This high-intensity exercise has even more cardio or aerobic activity than hiking, but it can still be carried out on a variety of surfaces and terrains by anyone who can walk regardless of age or fitness level.
Multiple studies conducted around the world have shown that people with Parkinson’s who participated in Nordic walking programs saw improvements in their gait, balance, posture, flexibility and mood.
Similar to hiking with trekking poles, Nordic walking requires two specially designed, hand-held walking poles that act as levers to give you a springy, lengthened stride. But unlike normal hiking sticks that you stab ahead of you as you walk, you push back on Nordic walking poles, rotating your shoulders and hips, and propelling your body forward.
Once you push your body past the pole, you must let go of the pole grip to get the pole further back behind the body and for the pole to become an extension of the arm. There are plenty of online tutorials you can watch that will paint a clearer picture.
Nordic walking takes some getting used to. But once you nail down the technique, it can improve fitness in the same way that running does—only it’s easier on the ankles, knees and hips and therefore has a lower impact on the joints.
By Kathryn Jones
What do the trillions of microorganisms living in our intestinal tract have to do with Parkinson’s disease? Scientists are starting to unveil clues about the Parkinson’s microbiome connection.
Even though Parkinson’s research has come a long way, scientists still don’t completely understand where, when or how the disease begins inside our bodies.
Researchers have studied repeated head trauma as a potential factor. They’ve identified a significant link between PD and exposure to herbicides and pesticides. Scientists have also explored genetic risk factors that might make certain people more predisposed to Parkinson’s than others. Credible theories abound but no concrete answers exist—yet.
The good news is that scientists are uncovering clues that may bring us closer than ever to a cure. New research has revealed that Parkinson’s may be linked to the microbiome, the trillions of microorganisms and their genetic material that live inside the intestinal tract.
Actually, this research isn’t all that new
The earliest evidence that the gut could be connected to Parkinson’s disease emerged more than two centuries ago from the English surgeon James Parkinson, after whom the disease was named.
In 1817, Parkinson reported that patients living with a condition he called “shaking palsy” all had one thing in common: constipation. He found that treating their gastrointestinal issues also seemed to improve their motor symptoms. (Read our nutritional recommendations to learn more about foods that can help with constipation.)
Even today, doctors have identified constipation as one of the most common symptoms of Parkinson’s, affecting up to 80 percent of people living with the disease. In fact, constipation often precedes the onset of mobility issues.
And yet, for decades, most of the research into this disease has centered on the brain. This is how scientists were able to figure out that Parkinson’s patients tend to lose dopamine-producing neurons involved in many important brain functions including movement.
More recently, they’ve focused their research on the accumulation of alpha synuclein, a protein that twists into an unusual shape in Parkinson’s patients.
The discovery heard ‘round the world
One of the most significant “ah-ha” moments in Parkinson’s research to date occurred in 2003, when German neuroanatomist Heiko Braak and his colleagues at the University of Ulm proposed that Parkinson’s may actually begin in the gut instead of the brain.
Braak and his colleagues studied Parkinson’s patients post-mortem and found clumps of alpha synuclein not only in the brain, but also in the gastrointestinal nervous system that controls gut function. They began to see predictable patterns of the disease that started in the gut and ended in the brain.
But how did it get from point A to point B? Braak and crew theorized that the vagus nerve might be involved. The vagus nerve connects major bodily organs (specifically the heart, lungs and digestive tract) to the brainstem, which joins the spinal cord to the brain. In other words, it enables communication between the brain and gut.
Other studies have found that gut microbiome is altered in people with Parkinson’s disease. In 2016, scientists at the California Institute of Technology conducted an experiment where they removed microbiome found in the intestines of mice with Parkinson’s-like symptoms.
After these microorganisms were removed, motor symptoms improved. When they transplanted bacteria from Parkinson’s patients back into the mice, the symptoms returned.
Scientists realize they’re onto something
Now this notion that the earliest stages of Parkinson’s disease may occur in the gastrointestinal tract is taking the medical community by storm. It’s a huge scientific breakthrough considering how imperative it is to detect and diagnose PD as early as possible.
Scientists already know that microbiome is easily modifiable and could play a fundamental role in the treatment or prevention of many diseases. UAB’s goal is to figure out whether changes made to bacteria in the intestinal tract might alter Parkinson’s disease progression.
So far, the UAB scientists have analyzed fecal samples from hundreds of Parkinson’s patients across the country. They found that the microbiome found in the guts of people with PD is drastically different from disease-free individuals.
The microbiome also seemed to vary according to the person’s geographical location, which may explain how environment, lifestyle and diet factor into a individual’s biological system, including exposure to pesticides.
The UAB researchers also reported that Parkinson’s disease medications had a direct effect on changes in microbiome. This made sense considering the microbiome in our gut are partially responsible for metabolizing drugs.
But scientists aren’t quite sure whether medications change the microbiome in a specific way or how intestinal bacteria influences a patient’s response to treatment. And the question of how changes in the intestines drive neurodegeneration in the brain still remains a mystery.
– Kathryn Jones
Welcome to March’s Move of the Month! This month we’re focusing on flexibility for Parkinson’s.
We’ve teamed up with the Parkinson’s Fitness Project to bring you a move of the month in 2019. This month we’re focusing on flexibility for Parkinson’s. In this video Nate Coomer shows us a stretch for the hip flexors. Improving the flexibility in your hip flexors can help improve stooped posture.
Watch the video below and follow along to improve your flexibility. Also be sure to read our exercise for Parkinson’s recommendations to learn more about the types of activities that can improve Parkinson’s symptoms.
Five open heart surgeries and a Parkinson’s diagnosis haven’t stopped Navin Kumar from pursuing his dreams.
A Parkinson’s diagnosis can feel like the end of the world to most people, but for Navin Kumar, who was diagnosed in 2013 at the age of 39, it was “the chance to be blessed again.”
“Usually, the people I meet who have PD are folks who were likely very healthy throughout the course of their life, and Parkinson’s was their first experience with having a serious illness. For me, it was the opposite. My whole life has been one medical struggle after the next,” he said.
Kumar was born prematurely with a rare congenital heart disorder known as Shone’s syndrome. He was not expected to live past 2 years old, but he defied those odds having survived five open heart surgeries.
Today, Kumar is equipped with a partially mechanical heart and cardiac pacemaker, earning him the nickname “Bionic Man” among friends, family and fans.
“I’ve been in and out of hospitals throughout my life. I am blessed to still be alive today. So, for me, having PD was another blessing in the sense that I choose to see the tough times in my life as blessings,” Kumar said. “These blessings have taught me not to take anything or anyone for granted.”
In addition to being blessed with a functioning heart, a longer life span and unlimited optimism, Kumar is a man of many talents. Aside from working for the federal government as an information technologist specialist, he is a motivational speaker and aspiring actor who will make his debut in the upcoming sci-fi film “Attack of the Unknown” starring Richard Greico and Tara Reid.
Kumar plays one of the SWAT team officers transporting a dangerous crime syndicate boss to court. Everything is running smoothly until they find themselves trapped inside a county detention center during an alien invasion.
But what he is best known for—and what earned him a global fan base—are his elite table tennis skills. Kumar is history’s first table tennis athlete with Parkinson’s to represent the U.S. on the Olympic and Paralympic levels. In fact, he’s a hopeful for the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo.
“This is a sport that transcends gender, age and even physical handicap, as you can see in the U.S. Open where I played against able-bodied players,” Kumar said.
The 2018 U.S. Open Championships took place in Orlando, Florida, in December. Kumar was the first person with Parkinson’s to walk away from the tournament with medals in tow.
“It was a great way to raise awareness for Parkinson’s,” he said. “I want to make a positive impact by showing people that I refuse to let Parkinson’s control me.”
“A lot of times, a Parkinson’s diagnosis can end careers,” Kumar added. “For me, it was the opposite. In my case, my sports career started after I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. It allowed me to stay in shape, which led me to improve my table tennis skills and compete internationally.”
A table tennis star is born
Growing up with Shone’s syndrome limited Kumar’s ability to be physically active. “I was not allowed to go out for recess time. I would get short of breath. I was always the underdog and picked last growing up. It was a terrible experience,” he said.
“My father had the foresight to realize that, with my heart issues, I would need some type of physical activity to keep me in good condition and get my mind off of things. So, when I was 4 years old, he taught me how to play table tennis. It became a constant companion throughout my life.”
But having a congenital heart defect made it difficult to play, and Kumar would have to cast his paddle aside for long periods of time. After recovering from his last open-heart surgery, his game started to improve—that is, until the symptoms of Parkinson’s began to creep in.
“When I first started playing after my Parkinson’s diagnosis, I couldn’t handle my paddle properly. I had muscle shaking and difficulty swinging my arm,” Kumar said. Frustrated, he nearly quit the sport for good until one fateful night changed his mind—and his life.
A friend and fellow table tennis enthusiast invited Kumar to attend the premiere of “Ping Pong Summer,” a coming-of-age film starring Susan Sarandon that highlights a shy teenager’s obsession with table tennis and hip-hop music in the 1980s. The movie was filmed locally in Maryland.
“I watched this movie and felt so inspired,” Kumar said. “It ignited a fire within me. I decided I wanted to get back into table tennis. I had the opportunity to speak to the director and cast, minus Susan. I got up there and said thank you to everybody for inspiring me to get back into the sport.
Fighting the symptoms of Parkinson’s through exercise, taking his medication diligently and staying positive have contributed to turning Kumar into the strong, focused table tennis champion he is today.
“It’s very important to stay positive because negative feelings can aggravate Parkinson’s symptoms. That’s a fact. When I see my hand shake, it’s a visual cue for me to take a deep breath and think positive because when I start to think positive, my tremors get better,” he said.
“I’m in the best physical shape of my life now. I see improvements every time I go to my neurologist. If I keep this up, I should stay in stage one Parkinson’s for a long time. Like everyone else, I’m just trying to hold out until a cure is found.”
– Kathryn Jones
Improving balance, gait, focus, cognition and stamina are just a few ways knocking down pins can help strike out Parkinson’s disease.
Life with Parkinson’s can be balancing act in more ways than one, but in this instance, we’re talking about the motor symptoms. Subtle balance issues, such as slow turning or jerkiness in movement, can be detected as early as the time of diagnosis.
The effects of bradykinesia, rigidity, impaired proprioception and freezing of gait all play a role in balance and fall prevention. In other words, doing activities that challenge and ultimately improve your balance can help other PD symptoms and slow down the progression of your symptoms.
Bowling is one of those activities.
Something you see often in physical therapy appointments, as well as BGF’s fitness videos, are big, exaggerated movements to address limb mobility. We’re talking about those big arm swings and taking careful, purposeful steps. Those happen to be two key components for bowling a perfect game.
Here are some other ways bowling improves Parkinson’s symptoms.
Bowling improves mental focus and cognition.
Fitness is the best medicine for Parkinson’s disease because it forces you to keep the communication lines between your brain and the rest of your body parts going strong. While it may not be the most high-endurance sport out there, bowling does require mental focus in order to play the game strategically.
For instance, have you ever noticed that when it’s your turn to play and you go to grab your ball, suddenly everything around you becomes quiet? That’s because you are in the zone. You have tuned everything else out so that you can mentally prepare yourself to knock down as many pins as possible. When your brain tells you to walk toward the lane and swing your arm, you do exactly what it says and hope for a strike.
Bowling works all the joints.
Trust us, after a few rounds of hurling a 16-pound ball down a bowling lane, you’ll start to feel it in your wrists, ankles, knees and shoulders. That’s a good thing because it means you’re getting a solid workout! However, if your joints start to feel uncomfortable, try switching to a lighter ball.
If they go from feeling slightly uncomfortable to downright aching, that’s probably your cue to call it a day. When you have Parkinson’s and already struggle with stiff joints, doing activities like bowling can help keep your joints flexible and mobile. But you also have to be extra careful not to overexert them.
Bowling challenges your stamina.
Those who think bowling is an easy sport have probably never played in a league. A bowling league night usually consists of three games. A game of bowling equals 10 frames. In each frame, the bowler has two chances to knock down as many pins as possible with their ball.
So, when you do the math, that is 20 turns per game – 60 turns if you’re playing a league night. Strategically flinging a hefty bowling ball down a narrow lane 60 times will wear anyone out—let alone someone with Parkinson’s. Whether it’s three games, two games or half of one game, bowl for however long you want to, dang it. Nobody’s there to judge.
Bowling keeps you social.
At the end of the day, bowling is a social sport. It’s fun. It gets you out of the house for a few hours. It’s a great way to spend quality time with your friends, family, coworkers or perhaps even the random strangers in the next lane who also loved the bowling scene in “The Big Lebowski.”
Don’t be too hard on yourself if you wind up with a high score. It’s natural to get into the spirit of competition but not to the point that it takes the fun out of the sport. If you start to feel down, just look down. Everyone, including you, is wearing a pair of bowling shoes, and we can all agree those are some goofy-looking shoes.
Bowl for the Brian Grant Foundation!
Your love of bowling can be a fun way to help support our Parkinson’s programs. Talk to you local bowling alley about the possibility of hosting a fundraiser and get in touch with us at info@briangrant.org!
Cognitive decline is one of the most common non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s. But there are nutrients that can help support memory and cognition in Parkinson’s.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is primarily defined as a movement disorder characterized by the loss of neurons in the brain that produce dopamine. But PD is being recognized more as a multi-system disorder with non-motor symptoms just as significant to both identify and manage.
Cognitive decline is one of the most common non-motor symptoms. Research demonstrates that people with PD have a more rapid decline in cognitive domains including memory. While dementia, a decline in memory or thinking skills, is a common problem in advanced stages, pre-dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can show up earlier in the progression of PD. It is worth noting that the gut microbiome also has been associated with impairment in the region of the brain necessary for encoding memory.
Potential mechanisms for cognitive decline in PD include; protein misfolding, neurotransmitter activity, synaptic dysfunction, neuroinflammation, or mitochondrial dysfunction.
Here are 5 of the top nutrition considerations to support memory and cognitive health:
Walnuts
Walnuts (Juglans regia) are one of the best foods for brain health. They are an excellent example of what is referred to as the “doctrine of signatures” when a plant resembles the part of the body it treats. A recent study determined that a handful of walnuts daily can improve cognitive health. Another study was able to demonstrate their ability to delay cognitive dysfunction.
Monunsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFAs)
The brain is comprised of 60% fat so it’s no surprise that healthy fats support its function. Fatty acids are crucial determinants of both the integrity and ability of the brain to perform. MUFAs have been shown to have significant association with a decrease in risk of MCI. Foods that are the best sources of MUFAs include eggs, olives and avocado.
Carotenoids
Carotenoids are yellow, orange and red pigments made in plants. Examples of carotenoids include a-carotene, B-carotene, B-crytoxanthin, lycopene, zeaxanthin and lutein. Studies show that incorporating lutein in the diet has a benefit in maintaining cognitive health. The best sources of lutein are found in dark green leafy veggies. The top 6 sources include spinach, kale, turnip greens, collards, dandelion greens and mustard greens.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C, most commonly associated for its ability to fight colds, is a potent antioxidant that also supports brain health. It has been identified as one of the highest protective nutrients against MCI. While oranges are perhaps the most familiar food source, some even better options include papaya, bell peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, strawberries and pineapple.
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is also one of the top protective nutrients against cognitive impairment as it has a major role in neurotransmitter metabolism and mitochondrial function. In fact, individuals who have an inborn metabolism disorders of this vitamin will end up having B6-responsive epilepsy. Top food sources include tuna, turkey, beef, chicken and salmon. Sweet potatoes are the best a best plant-based option.
“You are what you eat”, applies to both your body and mind. For those managing Parkinson’s disease memory and cognitive function are common non-motor symptoms. Try incorporating these memory boosting foods to support brain health as people with Parkinson’s living inspired lives. Learn more about Parkinson’s nutrition by reading the Brian Grant Foundation’s nutritional recommendations.
Dr. Bethany Tennant is a Naturopathic Physician & Certified Nutrition Specialist and has been involved with BGF since 2012. Dr. Tennant is passionate about neurodegenerative conditions, natural sports medicine and medical nutrition. She sees patients at 2bwell Clinic in Lake Oswego, OR.
@dr.bethanytennant www.drbethanytennant.com
Scott Rider lives by four words: I will never quit.
Scott has been living with Parkinson’s for over ten years. With the help of Mass Mutual, he’s created a YouTube channel to inspire others to never quit. Scott’s channel features interviews of people living with Parkinson’s, including his latest video with Brian.
The full video is available on Scott’s YouTube Channel. Check out the video – and don’t forget to subscribe to Scott’s channel! From now through May 1, 2019, MassMutual will donate $1 to the Parkinson’s Foundation for each of the next 5,000 subscribers to Scott’s channel.
Thank you to the Parkinson’s Foundation for supporting our exercise for Parkinson’s programs. By subscribing to Scott’s channel, you’re helping us teach more professionals about the safest and most effective activities for people with Parkinson’s.
Program kicks off with parties in Portland and Bend to celebrate the local businesses that provide “Pints Passports” to support the Brian Grant Foundation’s programs for people with Parkinson’s
Portland, Ore. February 14, 2019 – The Brian Grant Foundation (BGF) is kicking off its annual Pints for Parkinson’s fundraiser with parties in Portland and Bend to celebrate the 35 businesses that participate in the program. Throughout the month of April people can purchase $25 “Pints Passports” that are good for ten pints at any of the participating locations. Proceeds from the sales of “Pints Passports” support BGF’s programs to improve the well being of people with Parkinson’s.
The Pints for Parkinson’s kick off parties will be held on March 27, 2019 at Urban Studio in Portland and March 28, 2019 at Boneyard Pub in Bend. Attendees of these events will be able to purchase their “Pints Passports” in advance while enjoying food, drinks and games. Tickets for the Portland event are available at www.briangrant.org. Thanks to the sponsors of this event, 100% of ticket sales will support BGF’s programs. The event in Bend is open to the public, with $1 of every pint purchased that evening benefitting BGF.
“The incredible number of establishments participating in Pints for Parkinson’s shows the commitment of our business community to helping people with Parkinson’s live fulfilling lives,” says Katrina Kahl, executive director of BGF. “ Brian was known for his tenacity on the court and that determination is matched by the thousands of Oregonians that come out year after year to support him in his new journey as a Parkinson’s advocate.”
“Pints Passports” can be purchased at any of the participating locations or online throughout the month of April. Passports can be used starting on April 1, 2019 and ending on on May 31, 2019. Each passport entitles the purchaser to ten pints of beer at any of the locations listed on the passport (one pint per location). For more information about the program and the kick off parties and to purchase a passport online visit briangrant.org.
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Founded in 2010, the Brian Grant Foundation provides tools to improve the well being of people with Parkinson’s. BGF’s programs focus on exercise and nutrition to help people with Parkinson’s manage their symptoms, improve their overall health and prevent other serious illnesses. Learn more about BGF’s programs at www.briangrant.org.
There are tools you can use to save time, unwind, and stay connected to your favorite people.
It’s common for those with Parkinson’s disease to experience worsening symptoms during stressful times. The loss of a job, end of a relationship, and even hosting holiday houseguests are stressful events that can worsen symptoms.
Although the impact of psychological stress on PD is not completely understood, lab studies have suggested that stress damages dopamine cells (which are already compromised by the disease) resulting in more severe symptoms.
Managing stress with Parkinson’s is not easy, but can be done! With virtual wellness programs, meditation apps, smart devices, and opportunities to connect with the people you care about through social media, technology can be a valuable stress reduction tool.
Smart technology
In this day and age, “Siri” and “Alexa” have become household names. There is no shortage of things that we can do hands-free using smart technology. For people with Parkinson’s, anything that saves time, makes household chores easier, or puts our minds at ease while we’re away from home, are effective ways to reduce stress in our daily lives.
With the advent of smart technology, we can adjust the temperature and lighting in our homes through voice command. We can scour the internet for our favorite recipe while elbow-deep in cookie dough. We can install security cameras in our home and use an app to make sure the dog didn’t get into the cookie jar while we were out running errands.
Wearable tech
You may have heard of products like Apple Watch and Garmin trackers that monitor your physical fitness, but did you know there are wearable gadgets on the market to help us relax?
Many modern smartwatches and fitness trackers provide guided breathing exercises to help center yourself when its heart rate variability (HRV) sensor shows your heart rate and stress levels are on the rise. They often replicate a calming breathing rhythm with small vibrating buzzes and tell you how many counts to breathe in and out.
Meditation apps
Research studies conducted over the years have identified a clear link between mindful meditation practices and lower stress levels, reduced inflammation in the body, improved sleep at night, and sharper mental clarity during the day.
Headspace, one of the most popular meditation apps on the market, was launched by former Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe, who was trained in meditation practices around the world. Puddicombe’s gentle British accent guides Headspace users through themed meditation sessions to accomplish a variety of tasks from controlling anger to conquering the fear of flying.
Products from companies like Muse offer meditation apps along with a wearable device that uses your brain activity to help identify distractions, train your body to relax, and show you how to apply simple stress reduction techniques to your everyday life.
Online fitness
Like we always say, exercise is the best medicine for Parkinson’s. Consistent, vigorous, physical activity can help reduce motor and non-motor symptoms of PD and slow down symptom progression. From Jane Fonda VHS tapes to the world’s first treadmill, people have been using tech for decades to enhance their fitness journeys.
The Brian Grant Foundation is all about using online tools to help make fitness fun for people with Parkinson’s. Work out with us in the comfort of your own home through our series of fitness videos that show you different exercises that can help fight symptoms of Parkinson’s. You can join us for aerobics, boxing, bootcamp, pilates, tai chi, yoga, and more!
Social media
Social media sites like Facebook, X, TikTok, and Instagram are a double-edged sword. One on hand, they can help us stay connected with friends and loved ones across the country, leading to better mental and emotional health.
On the other hand, social media can also be addictive and misleading. It’s a breeding ground for misinformation, bullying, peer pressure, feelings of insecurity, and unrealistic expectations. Funny how a technology that’s supposed to make you feel connected to others can also make you feel isolated, lonely, or depressed depending on your mood.
It’s important to be mindful about how often you use social media and why. If you find yourself feeling the negative effects, unplug for a bit and try one of the old-fashioned ways of connecting with others: make a phone call, mail a card, or better yet, say hello in person. Tech can do a lot of cool things, but it will never replace genuine human connection.
