People with Parkinson’s may profit from cardio, weight training and yoga – here’s what you should know

Many people associate Parkinson’s disease with the physical symptoms it causes – similar to tremors, muscle stiffness and balance problems – which may all make on a regular basis activities difficult. But simply because Parkinson’s makes movement harder, doesn’t mean those with the disease should stop moving.

This was highlighted in a recent video posted by British fitness influencer Joe Wicks on his YouTube channel. In the video, Wicks guides viewers through exercises they’ll do in the event that they have Parkinson’s disease – and explains why it’s necessary to maintain moving.

There have been several scientific studies exploring the impact of various kinds of exercise on individuals with Parkinson’s disease. On the entire, most sorts of exercise have been shown to have a positive effect on individuals with Parkinson’s – improving quality of life and physical symptoms. Aerobic exercise appears to be particularly helpful.

One clinical trial, as an illustration, found that high-intensity exercise may reduce the severity of motor symptoms in people recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

To conduct their study, researchers split participants into three groups. One group performed a high-intensity treadmill routine, running near maximum effort. Another performed moderate-intensity exercise, running at a light-weight jog. The last group got no instructions to perform a treadmill-based exercise regime. The exercise regimes were performed for half-hour between three and 4 times every week for a period of six months.

At the top of the study, the participants who had performed the high-intensity exercise had less severe motor symptoms in comparison with the opposite groups. None of the participants within the study had yet been prescribed medication to administer their symptoms – so the positive effects seem like solely all the way down to exercise.

Another long-term global study of two,940 individuals with Parkinson’s found that those that said they consistently exercised for at the least 2.5 hours every week (around 20 minutes per day) had a greater quality of life in comparison with those that didn’t exercise in any respect. The biggest profit was seen in participants with advanced Parkinson’s disease.

However, on condition that all of the participants were taking medication to administer their symptoms on the time of the study, it’s difficult to know if exercise alone explained this link.

Maintaining a daily exercise routine might also slow the worsening of Parkinson’s symptoms. A study, which checked out 237 people recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s, found that those that reported doing moderate exercise 150 minutes every week showed less decline in motor symptoms after six years in comparison with those that did less exercise and were less energetic normally.

This was true for many differing kinds of physical activity – including doing household chores – as long as the exercise was regular and sustained throughout the study.

It isn’t only high-intensity aerobic exercise that could be helpful to individuals with Parkinson’s. A large systemic reviewwhich examined 156 randomised clinical trials and data from 7,939 participants, found that many sorts of exercise – from swimming to walking – can improve movement and overall quality of life in individuals with Parkinson’s.

The authors also concluded that there was no evidence that one type of exercise worked higher than others.

Research has also shown that regular physical activity may help prevent other Parkinson’s symptoms from worsening – similar to sleep problems.

While researchers still aren’t sure why exercise may improve symptoms for individuals with Parkinson’s, some evidence from laboratory and clinical studies shows that exercise may protect the brain’s neurons (the nerve cells which send messages from the brain throughout the body) by releasing a protein within the brain called brain-derived neurotrophic factor.

This is a protein which may promote the survival and regrowth of neurons and is present at higher levels during physical exertion. Levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor have been shown to be lower in individuals with Parkinson’s.

Another protein, called your iriswhich is made by muscle cells after we exercise, might also help protect neuronsas shown in cell models of Parkinson’s disease.

Tailored workouts

While exercise has many advantages for individuals with Parkinson’s, it must be used as a complement to other treatments, similar to medications which help manage symptoms.

It’s also necessary that individuals with Parkinson’s seek the advice of their GP when putting together an exercise regime. This is to avoid risk of pain, injury or falls by determining which exercises suit everyone.

Exercises which maintain and improve strength and balance are advisable. Pilatesfor instance, has been shown to profit balance and overall strength in individuals with Parkinson’s. Yoga also can improve flexibility and overall mental wellbeing in individuals with Parkinson’s, while balance training (similar to tai chi or yoga) may prevent falls.

If you’re up for something more intense, strength training has been shown to enhance slowness of movement. Swimming can also be a very good option, and should especially be helpful for many who with joint stiffness or pain.

But even in the event you’re having trouble motivating yourself to exercise, many sorts of physical activity could also be helpful so long as you do them repeatedly. For example, walking, gardening and household chores (similar to cooking, hoovering and dusting) may prevent symptoms worsening and improve quality of life. And, these activities could also be easier to include into your day by day routine than a gym workout.