By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The Carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said;
‘For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!’

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
‘God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!’

How many of you exercise?  Do you exercise every day?  Do you exercise with intention?  The reason I ask is that I recently learned that people with Parkinson’s need to be working out at an intense level.  The CDC recommends 150 minutes of aerobic exercise weekly: 75 minutes should be of vigorous-intensity and 75 minutes of moderate-intensity.

I personally have found this difficult.  I’m not the type of person who runs, nor do I look for someone to compete with. I work out at my own level.  I enjoy a good challenge, but not too much.  Now I have learned that my heart rate needs to increase when working out, so I am pushing myself more.  My yoga instructor,  Dan at Method Yoga, in Springboro, challenges me every week.  He believes in short intense workouts, so we do many mini-workouts during his class. He incorporates strength training into the yoga class.  I am learning to enjoy the challenge.  However, there are times when I look at him and think “no way dude’.  Somehow, I manage through the difficult moves and my strength improves.  One of Dan’s major challenges for his students is to practice the yogi squat.  This is a squat where you lower your body as far as you can go to the ground. In the beginning, I could barely squat more than an inch,  Now, I can get to the ground, for a couple of seconds.  I can also get back up, which is really important!

I was amazed the other day at how far I could lower into the yogi squat.  I was putting air in my car tires.  So, instead of bending over, I did a yogi squat.  It really was much more comfortable.  It made the experience of putting air in my tires a lot easier.  I wasn’t out of breath and my legs didn’t hurt.  I think it’s a miracle!  I say thank you to Dan for continuing to gently nudge me further and further each week.  I am getting stronger, and that feels magnificent!

For my New Year’s goals, I am looking for other exercise routines that will give me a similar challenge.  My goal is to work out 6 days a week, one day to rest.  Yesterday, I found a barre workout that was extremely intense.  Fortunately, the instructor gave modifications, which allowed me to complete the exercise. 

So, I challenge you to not just evaluate your exercise routine, but find one exercise move that you can improve.  Do you need to improve your strength, balance, or mobility?  I know it’s a lot to look at, but Parkinson’s will challenge you both mentally and physically.  

I believe you help yourself a million times over if you exercise with intensity and intention.  My intent is to increase the intensity of my workouts.  My intent is to  “move it, move it”.  

If you accept my challenge, make it your intention to improve one move and write the name of your exercise in the comment box with your first name and date it.  One month later, write back what improvements you made.  Do you accept the challenge?

I recently discovered Qi Gong. I find the energy and breath work rewarding.   Qi Gong uses the breath and movement to bring relaxation. It is easy to do and feels fantastic! When I have Parkinson symptoms that are bothering me, I find that Qi Gong is easy to do.  It is easier than yoga and aerobics.   When I practice Qi Gong because I am shaking or anxious it calms me down.  The change in my energy and mood is rapid. I laugh with joy during the practice of shaking your stress away.   The YOQI channel on YouTube is very important enjoyable.  Take a  look and see if Qi Gong helps you relax.   Enjoy!

Last week I attended an online educational summit sponsored by the Davis Phinney Foundation.  It was inspiring, and I received a great deal of information to work with and ponder.    

In this post, I am focusing on one person who impressed me the most.  Her name is Amy Carlson and she is an Ambassador for the Davis Phinney Foundation.  She spoke about her philosophy on Parkinson’s, which is pretty simple but profound.

Embrace Parkinson’s, make it your friend, and squeeze every last good thing out of it that you can.

Amy Carlson, Amy Carlson Squeezes all the Good out of Parkinson’s

I was inspired by that phrase.  Squeeze every last good thing out of Parkinson’s. Amy Carlson says that Parkinson’s is a way to try something new and stop doing things that are obligatory. Dance is a creative outlet and is one of the wonderful things she discovered since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Her mantra is live for today and feel the very best you can.

I have been living with Parkinson’s since 2014. Living with my body feels very different than before the diagnosis. It feels like the body is separate from the mind. That is contradictory because the mind is what controls the body. The Parkinson’s mind decides what direction the body will go. It’s like navigating a mine field. You are not in control of your body. You never know where to step and when the symptoms will blow up. The videos below expose the insider view of living inside a Parkinson’s body. The poems are written by Wayne A. Gilbert, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2005. These poems flow together to reveal the mystery of living in a Parkinson’s body.  Both are profound and soul-stirring.  If you are so moved, please share your thoughts in the comment section.  

It’s Thanksgiving week and many of us will say a prayer of thanks before eating Thanksgiving dinner. I’ve been thinking about gratitude. More and more, I hear that gratitude has a positive effect on your life, and it seems that being grateful is an intention. You deliberately make a point to feel gratitude. So, what is gratitude?

Benedictine monk, Br. David Steindl-Rast, suggests that two qualities belong in our basic definition of gratitude. The first is appreciation: You recognize that something is valuable to you, which has nothing to do with its monetary worth. The second quality is that gratitude is gratis: freely given to you.

Robert Emmons, perhaps the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude, also argues that gratitude has two key components: “First, it’s an affirmation of goodness. We affirm that there are good things in the world, gifts, and benefits we’ve received.”

In the second part of gratitude, he explains, “ recognize that the sources of this goodness are outside of ourselves…We acknowledge that other people…gave us many gifts, big and small, to help us achieve the goodness in our lives.

https://gratefulness.org/resource/what-is-gratitude/

Last week, I attended a webinar entitled Growing through Gratitude.  The presenter Melissa Kirkpatrick, is a speaker, author, and life coach. She always has a positive attitude and believes that gratefulness will help you grow. When you are thankful for someone or something, look deeper inside yourself into why you are grateful. For example, if you give thanks for a place to live, be thankful for the builders who built your home. If you have groceries and food, thank the grocery store clerk and the truck driver. You will find that goodness and gratitude will not only lift your spirits but will remind you that kindness continues in the world.

Gratitude begins by looking at all the good things in life. Psychologists have found that gratefulness will improve your mood, your happiness, and your health. (See Psychology Today Gratitude) When you are grateful, you are reducing your negative thoughts and feelings. Grateful people are less depressed, less stressed, and have fewer mental health issues. Feelings of gratefulness bring gladness to your heart and chase away the blues. 

This Thanksgiving, we all may feel like there is little to be grateful about. Many of us will be staying home instead of visiting with family. That may make us feel depressed and sad. I encourage you to look for what you can be grateful for: your health, your home, your spouse, your family, the food on your table. Go one step further and give thanks for the ones you love, and remember why you are grateful for them. Do they bring you joy? Have they provided for you in your life? Will they be there for you no matter what? When you are grateful for someone or something, your focus changes; you see goodness and kindness, not irritation or anger. Make a practice of gratitude and see how you feel.

I am going to commit to writing down three things I am grateful for every day. They will be different things each day. I can tell you that my spirits feel lifted just writing about gratitude. We find joy inside when we are grateful. This week, when you prepare your meal, think about the things or people you feel gratitude for and why. Share with your family or friends and encourage them to share what makes them feel grateful. May this bring peace to you and your family. Happy Thanksgiving.  

Today, I feel grateful!  I began the day with an online yoga class, then went for a walk in the woods.  Last year, I was very ill.  I could not do any of those things.  I was walking with a cane or walker and was not doing that well. 

Movement is critical to Parkinson’s.  Movement is medicine. Exercise is a top priority for me and many other people with Parkinson’s.  Each day I want to remember  last year and be grateful.  Grateful for the movement I can achieve that day.  Each day is different.  Your abilities change, your balance changes.  Moving is the key and exercise of any type, will help.   Move in whatever way is accessible to you today.  Even if you just stretch your body.  Stretch your arms up in the air.  You will feel a change and feel better. 

Gratitude is important and I keep coming back to it. Gratitude lightens the heart and turns a frown upside down. Gratitude will remind you to appreciate the people you love and those that return that love.  Gratitude gives you a positive feeling about your life and your condition.  A little gratitude will go a long way.  Gratitude pushes you forward into a better mood, better attitude and better energy.  I am not always grateful, which is why I’m writing about it.  Today, I am grateful and feel happy!

Good friends are priceless.   I talk with one of  my  best friends at least once a week.  He has Parkinson’s.  We help each other not only through our journey in life, but our journey through Parkinson’s.  

A month or so ago, he said he might have cancer.  The doctors are running more tests. During his nap time (which is sacred time for him) my friend called and said he spoke with the doctor. Good News!  NO CHEMO, NO CANCER!  HALLELUJAH!  He and his wife were so happy and so am I!  What great news!  He laughed and said now he “only” has to deal with Parkinson’s. He was grateful.  Seems strange to be grateful for Parkinson’s.  I laughed and said it is hilarious to be grateful that you “only” have Parkinson’s.  We laughed together while sharing the common knowledge of living with Parkinson’s. I am grateful for him. Today’s thoughts are to be grateful for every day and thankful for Parkinson’s. Perspective is everything.