Do This Heart Exercise To Help With Parkinson’s Hand and Arm Agility

Hand and finger stiffness is a huge problem for people with Parkinson’s. It affects your daily tasks, making everything more difficult. Working on your hands daily is a must! If you can make it fun and see results, it’s really rewarding.

When I asked my class to form a heart with their hands for a picture, I noticed most of the class couldn’t get their fingers to respond. This happens for various reasons—stiffness in fingers and arms, lack of proprioception (knowing where your body is in space), or difficulty with the brain sequencing a task.

We often take the simplest tasks for granted. My fighters who have had PD longer, had the most trouble with this.

Today’s quick hit is going to be forming a heart with your hands. This exercise works on dexterity, flexibility, brain sequencing, and rotation of the arm, shoulder, and scapula. It’s a great one to share with children. They “love” it!

Watch this video to see how to do the Heart exercise to help with Parkinson’s hand and arm agility:    

All you need is a pair of hands and a willingness to try!

• Bring both hands together and line up nail beds of each of the four matching long fingers.

• Extend your thumbs down and touch the thumb pads together.

• Now flip outward and place the “heart” on your chest. You do this by rotating your whole arm.

Do this in the mirror so you can see the heart and continue to reshape it as needed until you have a beautiful heart to share.

Practice this daily until you get it. It may take a while—don’t get frustrated! Even if you can’t quite get it, you are using your brain, stretching, and working your fingers and hands. There are no failed attempts, it’s all a win. 

💜 Coach Kimberly