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Stepping big to do a proper lunge can be very difficult for people with Parkinson’s Disease for multiple reasons. To try and keep their balance, people often take a baby step forward and then lean forward without bending their back knee. As a result, they lean forward with their trunk, which brings the front knee way over their ankle, and causes a great amount of shearing stress on their knee.

I came up with this “Ultimate Supported Lunge” by borrowing a yoga supported warrior pose. This great exercise puts you in the perfect lunge position and promotes a number of things that are good for your body at the same time.

Continue reading “Treat Parkinson’s Balance and Flexibility Using the Ultimate Supported Lunge”

This breathing exercise is a great way to regulate and address shallow breathing caused by anxiety, a common symptom with Parkinson’s. I used it first when I worked in hospital pulmonary rehabilitation, then added it in my Parkinson’s wellness retreats, and now it’s a warm-up in Rebel Fit Club’s Posture School.

If you are not breathing correctly and fully, a host of problems can arise, such as pneumonia, brain fog, and increased inflammation. This is why after you have surgery, a therapist will come into your room and help you breathe deeply.

Continue reading “Do This Breathing Exercise To Calm Your Nervous System if You Have Parkinson’s”

When Parkinson’s makes you feel stiff and causes your posture to stoop forward, a cascade of problems occurs, leading to pain and mobility issues. Routinely encouraging your shoulders, shoulder blades, and spine to move is crucial to counteracting the stooped posture and associated pain that are common in Parkinson’s disease.

Reaching your arms overhead is a complex movement, requiring the coordination of multiple parts of your skeleton. Your shoulder blade (scapula) and arm bone (humerus) have to work together in a simultaneous, synchronized pattern.

Your shoulder blades should “glide and float” on your rib cage. If you have a stooped posture, your shoulder blades can’t sit or glide normally on the ribs, causing pain in your upper back and shoulders.

This simple, basic stick exercise is great for stretching your shoulders and upper back.

Continue reading “Do this Stick Stretch for Parkinson’s Stooped Posture”

Rounded shoulders and stooped posture are common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. This can lead to neck, shoulder, and back pain. Routinely counteracting this forward pull and rounding spine is crucial.

Lying on a foam roller is a great way to relax while your spine and shoulder blades are supported. Gravity encourages your shoulder blades to glide in a more neutral position.

What if you can’t even get on the roller to start the exercise? Many people with mobility issues find these beneficial exercises nearly impossible, or at least very frustrating. The roller keeps rolling away!

Continue reading “Try This Easy Way To Get On a Foam Roller if You Have Parkinson’s”

I just started the next round of Rebel Fit Club’s Posture School, a five-week course to help people learn about their bodies and how to strengthen and stretch their backs properly. This course helps students counteract the neurological forward-pulling and muscle tightening that happens with Parkinson’s and just aging in general. Stooped posture causes pain, breathing and swallowing difficulty, inadequate blood flow to the brain, and balance issues.

The Goal Post Glide is one of the warm-up exercises I use in the Posture School five-week course at the Rebel Fit Club. You can do it to start or end your day in great alignment. Using props, such as a bath towel or rolled yoga mat, will help you get into the correct position without straining your shoulders or lower back. This exercise should feel so good! If you have pain in your shoulders or back, prop yourself up more or perform it seated.

Continue reading “Do the Goal Post Glide to Treat Parkinson’s Posture”