One month into the new year, are you already tired of hearing about the exercise program your ‘friends’ on FB are doing? I know I am!
Perhaps you’re reading others very public goals and thinking, “yeah, that’s great but, I have Parkinsons Disease!”.
Well, hold on now. There is one thing I do know; persons with Parkinson's disease must exercise daily. “Exercise can decrease your symptoms, help your medication work better and this is the big one, may even slow disease progression…” this according to Dr. Rachel Dolhun, movement disorder specialist and lifestyle medicine physician at The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
Not just any exercise but cardiovascular exercise of moderate to vigorous intensity. What that describes is aerobic or cardiovascular exercise. Examples of ‘cardio’ exercise are:
• walking at a brisk pace
• swimming
• dancing
• boxing
• jump rope
Hopefully, there is something on this list that you like to do; that is key.
Experts in Parkinson Disease research suggest at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity cardio exercise per week. What happens then? Essentially, the dopamine receptors in the brain ‘wake up’ and become more receptive to that powerful neurotransmitter, dopamine. The result is less Parkinson's symptoms in the short term and, with regular moderate to vigorous exercise, potentially postponing the devastating effect of Parkinson's Disease on the body!
Who wouldn't want to live out their lives with less Parkinson’s symptoms? Sign me up, right!?
Hold on though, the key is MODERATE and VIGOROUS. You must reach that stage of exercise to make these positive things happen. What does that mean really? Let me break it down for you with the help of the American Heart Association:
• Moderate exercise intensity means exercising at 50% to about 70% of your maximum heart rate.
• Vigorous exercise intensity means exercising at 70% to about 85% of your maximum heart rate.
What’s this maximum heart rate? Calculate your maximum heart rate (HR) by the following formula:
220 minus your age in years (63) = 157 BPM (this is your calculated max HR). That is 157 heartbeats per minute which is an approximate value of your maximum heart rate.
* Please note that your personal health status may necessitate using a maximum HR different from a calculated one.
**It is always good to get your doctors ‘OK’ to exercise anyway, so check with your doctor.
Back to this MODERATE vs VIGOROUS exercise. As the American Heart Association states: Moderate exercise intensity means exercising at 50% to about 70% of your maximum heart rate. Vigorous is 70% to 85% of your max HR.
An Example; Now let’s say you are determined to work out moderately. If you're just starting out aim for the lower end of your target heart rate zone.
That would be 50% of your max HR which = 157 Beats per Minute.
So, 157 x 50%= 78.5 BPM, let’s round up to 79 BPM which is our target heart rate for moderate exercise!
This targeted elevated heart rate needs to be maintained for a duration typically 20-30 minutes, to reap the benefits of cardiovascular exercise.
Now, if all that calculating makes your head spin like mine is, you can also judge the intensity of your exercise by how you are feeling during exercise. I know, I should have told you this earlier!
To judge if you’re working at Moderate exercise intensity:
• Your breathing quickens, but you're not out of breath.
• You start to lightly sweat after about 10 minutes of activity.
• You can talk to someone, but you can't sing.
If you’re working at Vigorous exercise intensity:
• Your breathing is deep and rapid.
• You start to sweat after only a few minutes of activity.
• You can't say more than a few words without pausing for breath.
I know it is a lot to think about, but now you have a measurable goal to reach for your exercise!
Remember, researchers say the magic number to reach is 70% of your maximum heart rate and stay there for 20 to 30 minutes. That is when you are making a positive difference in the Parkinson’s Disease process. You gotta start somewhere, right?!
Yours Truly,
Denise Rieman RN, BSN
Alliance Advocacy Services, LLC
www.Allianceadvocacyservices.com