October 2021 Warrior Spirit Winner – Mary Willcox

For those who frequently view our weekly Online Gym sessions you will not be surprised to see Mary as our October Warrior Spirit Award winner.Not only is Mary consistent with her exercise routine she is consistent with her effort in these sessions which we can all agree is extremely important but also extremely challenging.

 

Here is Mary’s story:“I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s about 7 years ago and from the beginning, I was pretty determined that I didn’t want the disease to define who I was. I chose not to take any medication for the first couple of years after diagnosis and there were many times when I was in tears at not being able to do simple things, such as brush my teeth and peel potatoes. When I eventually started on the medication, I was so excited at the difference it made. It was a good lesson for me in not taking simple things in life for granted.Apart from medication, my neurologist says that the 2 important things in treating Parkinson’s are meditation and exercise. I have found regular meditation to be extremely helpful, both physically and emotionally. At times it has been the only thing that would calm my tremor.Being someone who has always been pretty undisciplined about exercising, I really appreciate the structure of the PD warrior program. Apart from the physical benefits of feeling more alive and confident, I love the chance to share with a group of people who have the same experiences as me. There is something comforting about not having to explain what you are going through.One of the things in life that I love is being in the bush and I used to be quite a keen bushwalker. But after breaking my ankle a few years ago, I have lost a lot of my confidence in walking on rough tracks. So one of my goals for the next few years is to get my confidence back and take on some challenging walks.Although I certainly haven’t got to the stage where I can say that Parkinson’s is the best thing that has ever happened to me, I am thankful that it helps me to remember what things are important in life and I am very grateful for the things I am able to do and for the richness of life I experience.”We can’t wait to see where your walks take you in 2022!

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.