Want to Know How to Improve Your Balance If You Have Parkinson’s? It’s a Multisystem Process.

Because of the quarantine and lack of exercise many people with Parkinson’s are falling more these days. I decided to do these quick beginner exercises to get you started improving your balance.

Your balance is a process of many systems working together to hold you upright. Your eyesight, ears, muscles, tendons, joints, and nervous system send messages to your brain. The basal ganglia is the balance center of the brain and also the part of the brain most affected by Parkinson’s.

Is it any wonder why people with PD fall so much? The body tries to compensate by using other parts of the brain for balance, and all that does is disrupt other systems, like thinking and executive functioning.

The only thing that significantly helps with balance is specialized coaching and exercise. Your medication will not help you with balance. Once again, it is movement (nature’s cure-all) to the rescue!

Our Rebel Fit Club coaches go into more detail on balance in our Parkinson’s classes. It’s important to work with someone specialized to guide you in drills that improve all these systems. It’s not about standing on one leg or walking a straight line… it’s about specific system training.  

Last week we talked about the Sit to Stand being a great way to work on your hip power to help your balance and gait. This week we will do a simple eye exercise.

Here’s how to do this simple eye exercise at home:

• Sitting or standing tall (if you are standing, hang on to something sturdy)
• With your head facing straight ahead, look to the right with your eyes only, keeping your head still and nose still straight ahead.

• Rotate your head to the right to match your eye gaze (i.e.” looking for a car at a street corner”)

• Next look to the left with your eyes only, keeping your head still and nose straight ahead.
• Rotate your head left to match your eye gaze (i.e.” looking for a car at a street corner”)

• Do this 2 times in each direction, and then repeat the exercise, only this time do it with your eyes closed.   

You can do this once a day. Don’t forget, if you’re interested in other eye  or balance exercises, we have many more to show you in our live virtual classes, contact us at kimberly@rebelfitclub.com to start training your balance system!

💜 Kimberly