Aerobic Dance and Parkinson's Disease

When you are diagnosed with Parkinson's our concern is quality of life. Each day becomes an exploration of how to maximize the joy inherent is our time on the planet while managing the symptoms and minimizing the progression of the disease.This is the gift of Parkinson's. We live more mindfully and prioritize most highly the activities which are the most empowering, the most celebratory, the interests which promote community especially communities which support and understand the challenges of living with Parkinson's.

I recently had a call for consultation with a woman newly diagnosed with Parkinson's. She had done copious amount of research on all the latest development in the treatment of PD and it's symptoms. She already had a fitness program which included walking 3 times a week, and some gentle stretching. However, she had run across an article describing the benefits of aerobic dance on maintaining dopamine levels and wondered if I could help her design a program. I was more than happy to meet with her, talk about the kinds of music she loved to hear, and teach her basic, beginning level movements to warm up the body, lengthen the muscles and combine interval work with standard aerobic work. We added 10 minutes of modified sun salutation at the end of the 40 minute session. We finish with simple, standing Pilates exercises for abdominal work and balance, so important in maintaining our stability with PD. She has progressed to more demanding dance combinations and has opened her training sessions to friends in her community. The support of the group has increased the sense of accountability for all of the participants and re-enforced a festive atmosphere. Once again life is a celebration of our humanity in spite of the discomfort and inconvenience built into the experience.

http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourhealth/diseases/articles/dance_dance_dance.html