Have Parkinson’s? Do This to Combat the Effects of Prolonged Sitting

Research shows that sitting too much is one of the biggest potential threats to our health, and it makes Parkinson’s progress faster.

A little tough love, everyone: with PD, you just cannot do this. We must break this habit of sitting most of the day!

“We are sitting ourselves to death. We are not designed to sit as much as we do,” says James Levine, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic. “The chair is out to kill us.”

Did you know that your metabolism slows down by 90 percent after just 30 minutes of sitting? That means YOU slow down after 30 minutes of sitting—and it makes all of your PD symptoms a lot worse. Just think of how stiff you feel when you first stand up.

Watch this video to learn how to break up your sitting time with exercises like these isometric squats:    

Too much sitting can cause many problems in our bodies, including:

• Back Pain – Up to 90 percent more pressure is on the lower back when sitting versus standing.
• Neck Pain – Poor sitting alignment will cause forward head posture.
• Stiffness and Slowness – Sitting can tighten up muscles and pull joints out of alignment.
• Cognitive Decline – “Foggy” brain
• Depression and Anxiety – Decline in mood
• Constipation – The gut slows down, too!

Of course, you can’t stop sitting altogether, but make sure you break up the time you sit. Try to do this exercise once every 30 minutes that you spend sitting.

Coach Kimberly

P.S. If you’re looking for more Parkinson’s-specific exercises that you can do from home any time, check out my digital specialty courses!