Parkinson's Disease Treatment Thru Exercise and Bicycling at Cleveland C...

Bike Riding on Parky-1

The name of my blog, of course, is Move to Live - Beating Parkinson's.  One of the things I use to help me move is my stationary bike, Parky-1.  I recently modified Parky-1 by adding a platform to hold a laptop and a new seat because the last seat I had was not very kind to my body parts.  With the new upgrades I have made to Parky-1 (to see an equivalent upgrade of this type of technology and magnitude, please check out IRON MAN 2), this allows me to monitor my heart and pulse rate, calories burned, biofeedback in real time, also a global positioning satellite tied into NASA to monitor my whereabouts......Wait GPS? NASA satellites? It's a stationary bike. It doesn't move, just shakes a little. As a matter of fact, I can't back any of that stuff up! Ah well, maybe the next upgrade.  Sure sounded cool though didn't it? Actually I watch Youtube videos on golf and music, play cds and dvds, and work on this blog while I ride the bike because it's boring, but it's good for me so I do it. Research has shown some great benefits that bike riding provides  people with PD.  Here are some links that our crack research department (me and my wife) have found: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/01/health/01parkinsons.html

http://topnews.us/content/215553-patients-suffering-parkinsons-adept-cycling

http://www.nwpf.org/wellness/PhysicalHealth/FitnessAndExercise/ExerciseTipsDetail.aspx?id=45&headerbar=3

Make whatever you do fun and interesting. If you can sing along (great for speech therapy) to the music when you ride or walk, just don't talk to yourself. Those people scare me, and if you do talk to yourself, try to pair up with someone does the same.  At least it will look like you're having a conversation.  Bluetooth users are, of course, exempt. Whatever you do to fight back and slow the old PD train down helps! Keep moving!

My trinity challenge update - I have lost 7 pounds, no six pack abs yet, but getting closer. My bench press is up to 210 pounds for 4 reps,still ahead of schedule, and as for my golf game, I shot a 97 last week (no mulligans),  My driver was the best club in my bag.  I hit long and straight. I want to break 80 before my charity golf tournament, which has an official date and name now.  The Shaky Stick Golf Tournament to benefit Parkinson's research will be held on October 1, 2010, at Prince William Golf Course,  Bristow, Virginia. More details to come.
Note: always get your doctor's ok before starting any new activities!

I'm Pat Younts and I move to live.

Outside The Lines: Grant Battles Parkinson's Disease

The Young Boy at Costco

My wife and I made our usual Saturday pilgrimage to Costco to buy pallets of toilet paper, cases of drinks, and a jar of mayonnaise big enough for everyone in an island nation to have a sandwich. I personally enjoy the free samples which if you come at that right time of the day can hold you over until dinner. I just finished trying every sample in the store, which to me indicates that shopping is officially over.  We took our giant shopping cart with our giant food to the giant conveyor belt so the giant lady could check us out....wait, she was normally proportioned, my bad. She asked me how I was doing today. It was okay for her to ask me. She was not a health professional (check out my first blog for an explanation). My wife and I both said fine, asked her how she was, she gave us that look of someone who has to ring up gigantic food items on a Saturday, but shot a smile and said fine. After she rang up the last food item, she asked us if we would like to donate a dollar to Children's Miracle Network. After we made our donation, she gave us the little thank you paper, we put or names on it, and felt good about our small but good deed.

Our cart was loaded and looked like the sled the Grinch had after he stole all the toys from Whoville. We pushed it about ten feet when a woman blocking our way with a box in her hand asked us if we would like to donate 3 dollars to Children's Miracle Network for the last rubber bracelet she had. I started to tell her we just gave and before I could finish my sentence she said, "I have one bracelet left and he's on 2 types of  chemo." I thought who is she talking about? When I looked on the other side of the cart, I saw a small child about 5 or 6 years old in a stroller. My heart sank as I looked at him. He was a small boy, undersized for his age. His face was drawn and haggard by the cancer and the drugs. He had many tubes in his body. In an instant I could feel my lip quiver. It felt like a hammer hit me in the chest! I crouched down to his level. I remember saying, "hey buddy" and trying to smile. He reached his small hand out to me and as I started to reach out to him, I could see tubes in his arm. I pulled my hand back, scared I might hurt him or a tube might come loose. The woman said thank you and gave Darla the bracelet. I stood up and waved goodbye to him and pushed our cart. I looked over at Darla and I could see the tears well  up. I said, "that was heartbreaking." She nodded and said he had pretty green eyes.  He did.

Parkinson's is something I am aware of every waking moment of the day, but for several minutes I was totally unaware of my PD. I could only think, "I can't help him." As a personal trainer, trying to help people is what I do and feeling totally useless is something that doesn't usually happen. We loaded up the car and I told my wife no matter how bad I get, I have had a great life, a great mom and grandmother who raised me, two wonderful brothers, and a host of friends that are like family to me. I have been married 30 years to one of the greatest women on this planet.  I have two children who have been nothing but a joy, and a wonderful soon to be daughter-in-law. My dad and I talk now on a weekly basis instead of just on holidays. I could go on forever, but I have been truly blessed. Will my small friend ever have the opportunities I have had? I think that's what bothered  me most  of all, that he might not have that chance. 

Let me ask everyone something If it all ended right now, did you appreciate your life? I am not talking just the good times. I'm talking about cherishing every  low, every heartbreak, all the tears shed, all the moments that you thought did not go your way, did you  actually stop to think I am alive and privileged that I get to experience all those things that give life meaning? Because all those moments we experienced allowed us to live life. We needed them so all the joyful moments could have value. I have been blessed that I have lived life. My PD is not important. How I live with it is! Live life with gratitude.  If I had the power, I wish I could give that sick boy the gift of heartbreak, laughter, disappointment, the love of a wife, failure, successes and most of all a chance to grow up and cherish all of life like I have.....I wish I would have held his hand.

I'm Pat Younts and I move to live.

Challenge Update

Well it's been two weeks since I started my quest for being Mr.September in this year's Parkinson's calendar.....we do have a Parkinson's calendar, don't we? Ah, well, maybe next year. But I digress, so far I'm down 3 lbs., my bench went from 150 lbs. for 5 reps to 185 lbs. for 5 reps. That puts me ahead of schedule for my 250 lbs. goal. Thanks to Big Mike for letting work in with him while he works out. As for my golf game, I have been going to the driving range and will play this Saturday with my friends Karen and Mark.  I hope to play well.

Okay Parky warrriors, that's what I'm doing.  What about you?  Post some comments and give me some feedback I would love to hear from you. Keep moving until we find a cure and we move even more!

I'm Pat Younts and I move to live.

My situation, not who I am

As I enter the world of blogs, Facebook, Twitter, trying all forms of social media to champion the cause of Parkinson's and anybody who has a situation where movement can help, I begin to get this feeling that my identity and my situation (not to be confused with anyone on Jersey Shore) were starting to be one and the same. Parkinson's is my cause. As for us and anyone else with a currently incurable (I am optimistic about a cure) disease, all we can do is handle our situation. I think people start to believe that their particular hardship or bad situation is what they have become, their new identity. I do not want to be known as "Parkinson's Pat". Wait, that does have a ring to it.... but no, that's not me! I never find myself saying, "that's Michael J. Fox, the Parkinson's sufferer and actor." I think, "that's Michael J Fox, the actor who has Parkinson's." When I think of Mohammed Ali, I think, "boxer who has Parkinson's," and by the way, God bless Mohammed and Michael for being champions of our cause. Their illness and mine is simply a situation. PD is now just part of my daily routine, like playing video games and not doing the dishes. How we deal with our PD or other situations define what kind of people we are. Do not become your situation. Be yourself and handle your situation. And if you write your own blog, try not to use the word situation so much.....Get a hobby, take a class, go for a walk if you can. Do everything you can to live, don't exist!! Keep moving Parky warriors.

I'm Patrick Younts and I move to live.