...and rode around the block today. Got my heart pumping a bit. I am on the list for a "forced exercise" spinning class starting in April. A local hospital is replicating a Cleveland Clinic study that showed a 35% improvement in Parkinson's symptoms in a program involving stationary tandems with captains setting a fairly rapid pace (80-90RPM) and the stokers, PWP following. It is a 8 week, three mornings a week commitment and was not possible when I was working. So I am delighted to be a part of it.
The coordinator says that, while the patients have not noticed an improvement in symptoms, she herself has noticed a positive change in strength, confidence, mood, and posture. She feels that it has made a real difference in most lives. Some of my friends who have been involved in previous trials agree.
I read a study today that suggested that the ability to ride a bike could be used as a predictor for the kind of PD that advances quickly (I think it involves Lewy body deposits in the brain) or not. So I was happy to see I could still bike, just fine!
Now, to increase the mileage. But then I'd have to wear those gawd-awful bike shorts :P
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