COMBATTING PARKINSON'S DISEASE
“People who vigorously exercise for 2.5 hours per week show a slowed decline in quality of life, and the sooner they begin vigorous workouts after diagnosis, the better.”
Researchers at the University of Southern California looked at the brains of the mice that had exercised under conditions parallel to a human treadmill study. They found that:
“Exercising changed neither the amount of dopamine nor the amount of neurons in the animals’ brains. But in the ones that had exercised, the brain cells were using dopamine more efficiently. They also found that exercise improves that efficiency by modifying the areas of the brain where dopamine signals are received — the substantia nigra and basal ganglia.”
EVERYONE, Parkinson's or no Parkinson's, who exercises regularly uses the dopamine available in their body more efficiently.
"AGE AIN'T NOTHING BUT A NUMBER" -Aaliyah, 1994
Aside from adding extra injury-preventative training techniques and safety precautions I have to take into account because of a person's age or even neuromuscular dysfunction, my expectations for growth and challenge with any client do not change. It has been proven time and time again that a teacher's expectation and belief in a students' ability to achieve directly correlates to that student's achievement!
All my clients with PARKINSONS know that I am adamant that we have two projects:
(1) GET THEM IN THE BEST SHAPE OF THEIR LIFE
(2) BEAT PARKINSON'S
We are having incredible success in delaying and even seemingly reversing Parkinson's symptoms by applying performance enhancement strategies in their training to develop foundational and eventually advanced skills in coordination and balance.
