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Gardening and spring cleaning are so good for our mental well-being, but they can often cause a host of aches and pains, especially if you have Parkinson’s. Why? Because gardening requires us to twist, bend, and reach, causing us to spend too much time in precarious positions that are not healthy for our bodies. This is all compounded by the limited window of fair-weather opportunities we have here in the Northwest.

If this sounds like something you need to learn more about, it’s your lucky day! I’m teaching a Free 30-minute live mini-class on techniques for proper stretching to get you ready for spring activities. Click below to learn more.

Continue reading “If You Have Parkinson’s Let’s Spring into Action Together and Stretch Our Backs for Gardening”

Hand stiffness and loss of dexterity is a major complaint for people with Parkinson’s. I have many fighters and dancers whose hobbies include sewing, painting, woodworking and playing an instrument.

Those hobbies all take fine motor skills that are not only affected by stiffness, but also tremor. Chrisann, one of my lady fighters and a retired school principal, showed me how she exercises her fingers and hands with three magnetic rings.

Continue reading “Learn How To Improve Finger Dexterity with Magnetic Rings If You Have Parkinson’s Disease”

Last week one of my fighters with Parkinson’s thanked me for all of the squats and cardio workouts Rebel Fit Club has provided for years, but especially this last year during the pandemic. We’ve really pushed everyone hard in our daily online boxing bootcamps. I’m a firm believer that a strong back and glutes are a cornerstone to moving better with less pain, and we put a big emphasis on hip hinging and strengthening the glutes and core during our workouts.

This hard work paid off recently when locally (in Portland, Oregon) we got a sudden ice and snowstorm with high winds that left most families without power and water, downed trees, and a lot of snow to remove. One of our families had to shovel snow for 14 hours. Thankfully, because they were strong and had a great fitness to take on this task, they were able to do so with no injuries.

I wanted to share some tips from myself (a “Minnesota girl”) on how to safely shovel snow without hurting your back. This is also handy for dirt while gardening in the spring!

Continue reading “Save Your Back! 10 Tips to Safely Shovel Snow If You Have Parkinson’s”

Have you been told to pull your shoulders back to correct your posture? Many of my clients with Parkinson’s disease are told, “To correct your posture, stand straight and pull your shoulders back,” or “Stand at attention like a soldier.”

Being mindful of your posture and standing straight are important, but you could be creating other orthopedic problems by doing this.

The image shown below is one of my clients demonstrating how he was told to stand straight by pulling his shoulders back. As you can see, he’s leaning way back and compressing his low back. While he was doing this, I asked him if he was comfortable. He said, “It’s hard to maintain.” Then I asked him to walk forward in that posture and he couldn’t!

While doing this he didn’t sense his body was leaning backward. Often Parkinson’s skews your proprioception (awareness of your body in space). He had been pulling back his shoulders several times a day thinking he was standing straight. When I showed him this photo, he was surprised at how far back he was leaning and how far forward his head was.

Continue reading “Are You Pulling Your Shoulders Back to Correct Your Posture? Think Again… 6 Steps To Better Posture!”

Many people have asked me to write something in regard to the Covid Vaccine and Parkinson’s disease. I personally believe that everyone should be vaccinated, but there are a few things that are important for you to know about the Covid vaccine and your after-care.

Continue reading “Things to Consider About the Covid Vaccine and Parkinson’s Disease”