Finding the joy in movement

This month we have been focusing on how to bring more movement in to your life and importantly, how to bring a neuro-active approach to that movement to ensure you optimise every opportunity. Part of achieving this consistently is learning to enjoy exercise and to enjoy movement.

We move less and exercise less than at any time in history and therefore require scheduling and prioritisation to ensure movement, but that is only part of the solution…

Scheduling alone is not enough.

Exercise in modern life has for many become a chore and for many is considered a punishment or something to repent for. The public opinion is that exercise is about burning off energy, burning off calories and considered a punishment for enjoying life. One indulgence requires a pay-off.

This is very one dimensional and does not factor in the appreciation and simple joy of movement. The human body is remarkable and has an enormous capacity to compensate, adjust and recover. Parkinson’s does not change this, it may just alter the scale on which that can occur.

Part of the solution to increasing movement, increasing overall activity levels then may require a perspective change. This can be encouraged by taking the time to focus on the joy derived from any and all movement and trying to increase incidental movement for the fun of it. As well as improving daily function and efficiency, movement and exercise also helps to reduce stress, helps to improve our mood and so much more.

You don’t have to exercise… you GET to exercise. Movement is a privilege.

Is there a way to use movement to connect you with joy? Exercising with friends and family, being outside enjoying the sun on your face, walking in nature? Find what brings you joy with movement and do more of that while building up your fitness and condition with scheduled exercise.

Please let us know how you go.

Related Articles

September – Stephen Knox

Stephen attends our ARC clinic weekly for PD Warrior group sessions and you will also recognise him from our Thursday online gym sessions.
He is tenacious in his commitment to exercise and fighting Parkinson’s and does an outstanding job putting into words his Relationship with Parkinson’s…
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Past, Present and Future, by Stephen Knox:
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“Writing a story about something that occupies your past, present and future…

Responses

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.

Tribe 365 Community Guidelines

Overview

The goal of the Tribe 365 community is to share relevant Parkinson’s Disease information and resources, and support fellow members through the highs and lows of their journey with Parkinson’s Disease.

In order to meet the goals of this community, it’s important for members to feel like they are in a safe place that is populated by people with shared interests. As such, we request that you read and adhere to the guidelines that follow.

Guidelines:

  • Respect the privacy and personal information of other members
  • Communicate with courtesy and respect
  • Treat others online as you would treat them in real life
  • Be tolerant towards other’s viewpoints; respectfully disagree when opinions do not align

Please do not:

  • Sell or promote any products or services without the administrator’s prior permission
  • Make personal attacks on other community members
  • Use defamatory remarks or make false statements against others
  • Post prejudiced comments or profanity
  • Bully or make inflammatory remarks to other community members

Consequences:
We will take action when we see someone violating these guidelines. We request that all community members report behaviour that violates our guidelines to a member of the PD Warrior Team.

Agreement:
By logging onto the community and activating your profile, you are considered to be in agreement with the terms and conditions listed above.