[re+think]

Can exercise improve thinking and memory? The short answer is yes!   Research has shown exercise to improve executive functioning, memory, problem solving, vision and perception—this list goes on and on!   So, if you are like me, and sometimes don’t feel as sharp as you used to (this happened to me after having kids)—exercise is a great way to sharpen your mind. But, what we really want to know is the how exercise can do such a thing, and then get to the nuts and bolts of how do we harness this power of exercise? First, how does it work?   I want to give you three simple ways that has been show in research in Parkinson's Disease and other disorders such as Alzheimer’s: 1) Increased brain blood flow and health 2) Altered dopamine and glutamate neurotransmission (our key messengers in the brain)!   3) Increased number of brain connections Now the nuts and bolts:   how do you do this? Again—I like things in groups of threes—so here you ...

The entire [re+active] team got together last week to share our passion about exercise!  About 8000 people were reached throughout Facebook Live videos and our live exercise class.  How awesome is that!?  In our ideal world, many lives would be changed by using exercise as a potent medication to  manage the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease.  In order to make the educational videos more accessible--we wanted to put them in one place so you can have easy access.  Let's start with the Top 5 reasons to use exercise as medicine in PD:  #5: Exercise helps with constipation!  I know so many people that are on all kinds of different medications to help with constipation--let's just take the natural remedy--exercise.  Dr. Chelsea Duncan shares about how this helps.  #4: Exercise helps you sleep better.  Yikes--I know that I need this! Dr. Erin Caudill explains about the importance of sleep and how it is improved with exer...

Tight hip flexors are everywhere.  But, especially for older adults and people with neurologic disorders, tightness in the hip flexors can really influence movement.  I have had clients who improve their gait speed after a good hip flexor stretch! Most people comment that they can move much more smoothly and with longer strides.  Or, even better, without back pain.   Below are 3 different ways to stretch the hip flexors and between the three of these, you should find one that is doable and feels like a good deep stretch.  Try them out just before you get moving and notice how your movement improves!   Standing hip flexor stretch- -a good one to do on the go, before a walk or other standing exercise. Kneeling hip flexor stretch.  This is my personal favorite because it isolates the muscle so well--less room for cheating. Lying down hip flexor stretch.  This version is great if it is difficult to get in the other po...

Exercise is a powerful tool that has been shown in numerous studies to delay the progression of Parkinson’s disease and to even improve existing symptoms. As more research is performed and more sophisticated tools are used to analyze the effects of exercise, it is becoming more and more evident that everyone with PD should be exercising!   In an attempt to help spread the word on the benefits of exercise, we will be presenting a series of blogs that go into detail on this topic. In this initial discussion, we will introduce the top 10 reasons why individuals with Parkinson’s disease should exercise and elaborate on the #1 REASON for individuals to exercise.   Stay tuned to the upcoming blogs as we will be going into more detail and presenting the latest research regarding these 10 benefits of exercise! Here are the TOP 10 reasons why everyone with PD should get moving… 10. Exercise helps your muscles and joints loosen up so you can Move Better 9. Exercise...