August – John Durbin

Melissa McConaghy 01/03/2021
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Congratulations John Durbin! Golf champion and August recipient of the Warrior Spirit Award!

Here is what John had to say about his experience with PD Warrior and the role of sport in managing his Parkinson’s:

“Diagnosed in October 2019 at the age of 70 after losing dexterity in left hand and slight dragging of left foot (and reduced distance in hitting golf ball)Diagnosed in October 2019 at the age of 70 after losing dexterity in left hand and slight dragging of left foot (and reduced distance in hitting golf ball)

Heard of PD Warrior from a friend and signed up in March to start in April. Followed 10-week challenge (which initially coincided with Covid-19 lockdown) every day.

Golf course re-opened mid May, and immediate improvement noticed in flexibility which led to better ball-striking and hence confidence. Completed the challenge in June and since then am playing 18 holes of golf 3 times a week, and exercising an hour a day when not playing golf either using the programme set up by Vicky Knight or following your weekly video, and doing about 30 minutes of PDW exercises on the golfing days.
I continued playing better and more consistently and much to my delight recently won a competition (against a field of 68 including some very low handicap players) for the first time in several years.

PD Warrior has made me feel normal again. I no longer consider I have a problem with my left hand and I walk as well as any of my golfing partners. I have always participated in competitive sport – tennis, squash and for the last 20 years golf. So I rather feared that PD would put an end to golf and an active life style. Being active and competitive is so important to my well-being and I am grateful for the help PDW has given me. The 10-week challenge together with the one-on-one sessions with Vicky Knight has made a huge difference.”

Outstanding work John! I don’t think I can advocate the benefits of sport as a rehab and motivational tool any better than that!

Categories: Warrior Spirit Champion

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Tracker

Tracker

The tracker is designed to help you track the amount of time you spend in scheduled exercise each day. Scheduled exercise is activity you have prioritised in your day for health and to help slow your Parkinson’s down. This might include PD Warrior exercise, fast walking, golfing, going to the gym etc. It does not include incidental activity such as housework & gardening (although we hope this increases too). The aim of the tracker is to help you build an exercise habit and to keep you accountable, so try and enter something each day.
At the end of the 10 Week Challenge you can download and review your overall performance.

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