I follow a few different Facebook groups where people share their journey and their wisdom about what works for them. The ways that people manage their Parkinson’s is as varied as we are individuals. Of course, I suppose a person’s natural inclination towards exercising or not is likely to influence how they view exercise in general. If, for instance, a person was not inclined towards exercising at all, it is likely to be a tall order to expect them to suddenly become ‘a gym bunny’. By that, I mean that going from nothing and not going to a gym at all, to going regularly and undergoing an intensive programme, may not be realistic for some.
One person in particular runs, goes to the gym and does some pretty hard core stuff, that I would never be able to do Parkinson’s or no Parkinson’s. If I were to even try to be at the level this person functions at would be – for me – a recipe for disaster and literally setting myself up for a fall.
I know that exercise is important, but as I have often been told, in order for an exercise regime to be effective, it needs to be something the person enjoys. It is also important I feel to have realistic expectations of ourselves and to realise that we are not going to be able to go from nothing to an intensive workout straight away. For me, I need to manage my own expectations and need to get better at acknowledging my progress. To me, it may seem that I am not progressing, but progress may just be slower than perhaps pre-parkinson’s me might have achieved.
My main exercise is in our local pool. I have been going there for some time and one bonus is that I have made some good friends along the way. I have been doing a combination of swimming lengths – no fancy flip turns – and some loosely labelled self-monitored aqua jogging. Loosely labelled, because the lane that I usually try to use for aqua jogging is often clogged up with my ‘floaty friends’ who bob around and move a bit, but have a more relaxed attitude to the pool. All power to them, as we all do what is comfortable for us.
I decided yesterday that I needed to make a bit of a change to how I manage my time in the pool. Some time ago, I decided to move my length swimming to the far side of the pool away from my ‘floaty friends’ as I call them. This assisted me to focus just on myself and my swimming, so that I did not somehow roped into conversations instead of doing my swim and getting the exercise out of it I need. I had been doing my lengths and then going over to the floaty end of things.
I have a floatation belt that I wear when aqua jogging to help me to be more buoyant. After I had done the swimming lengths I wanted to do, I got out of the pool, put my belt on and did 20 brisk ends aqua jogging, trying to do big steps, use my arms and go at a reasonable pace. It felt much better that I felt that I was pushing myself more than I would in the floaty lane. However, once my 20 were done, I felt I could have some chatty time with my friends. The social aspect of going to the pool is also important!
I am hoping I can build my lengths up both in swimming and aqua jogging as I go along. With my work at the pool and a busy bowling season coming up, I am hoping this can help me get back to a healthier me.
Slow and steady wins the race, I’m certainly not a sprinter!
Here’s a podcast with some more thoughts on exercise. You may find it helpful!
