Author: Landtiser

Strong glutes are vital for everyone, and especially if you have Parkinson’s. Your glutes are a very important muscle group for many reasons: they help balance your gait and stance, prevent falls, improve posture, and prevent back, hip, and knee problems. However, most of my private and group clients with back, hip, or knee pain couldn’t fire their glutes when we first started working together. This is very common!

Instead of asking, “What is the bare minimum I must do to slow down the progression of Parkinson’s?” ask yourself: “What fun things can I do that will have the biggest impact?”

What if slowing your Parkinson’s included fun, learning, and making true friends who understand you and make you laugh? What if your coach felt like a friend who appreciates your challenges and celebrates your wins? Here at the Rebel Fit Club, you can feel stronger, faster, and more focused—almost as if during your time in class, you don’t have PD. As a coach, I hear this all the time. My fighters love attending class. It’s a safe place where they can be themselves.

Here is another great exercise to do while you are sitting in a car, on a plane, or just in front of the TV.  Often, people with Parkinson’s have a hard time picking up their toes and feet while walking. Instead, they shuffle along, which leads to falls. This is a neurological symptom, but the result of not picking up your toes is the weakening of the anterior tibialis muscle (located on your shin). If you don’t use it, you start to lose it.

The anterior tibialis helps you flex your ankle and lift your foot off the ground, which is critical to having proper gait. When this muscle gets weak due to Parkinson’s, it’s known as “foot drop,” and this can lead to catching your toes or falling.