Pedaling For Parkinson’s Colorado

Parkinsons Exercise Class Offered At:

Participants perform exercises that have been proven to strengthen handwriting skills, gait, walking, rigidity, balance, and posture.

• Arvada Family YMCA | Pedaling for Parkinson’s | Mondays & Wednesdays 10:30 – 11:30 AM | see the schedule and reserve

• Southwest Family YMCA | Parkinson’s Exercise Class | Wednesdays from 2:00 – 3:30 PM | see the schedule and reserve

• University Hills-Schlessman Family YMCA | Pedaling for Parkinson’s | Tuesdays & Thursdays 6:00 – 7:00 PM, Saturdays at 7:15 – 8:00 AM | see the schedule and reserve

• University Hills-Schlessman Family YMCA | Parkinson’s Exercise Class | Tuesdays 12:15 – 1:15 PM | see the schedule and reserve

Pedaling For Parkinson’s Mission

The mission of Pedaling for Parkinson’s is:

• To improve the quality of life of Parkinson’s disease patients and their caregivers
• To educate patients, caregivers, and the general public about the benefits of maintaining an active lifestyle after a Parkinson’s diagnosis.
• To support research dedicated to the prevention and treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

Encouraging Data And Personal Outcomes

Data from the study suggested just what Manuel had predicted it would. Findings indicated that cycling might be an ideal mode of exercise for people with Parkinsons because it enables individuals to achieve and maintain a moderate to high intensity of exercise regardless of disease severity. The studys compliance data showed that people with Parkinsons regularly attend community-based cycling classes without external encouragement. They can achieve and maintain moderate levels of exercise intensity without direct oversight.

Thats because, the participants say, being part of PFP is a joy. The best part is being with others who have Parkinsons so we can share support, experiences, news, Manuel says. There is no pressure, no stress. Participants vary a lot in terms of cycling experience, and Ive never heard anyone in the class criticize any other participant. The instructors are very helpful and supportive, and the other cyclists provide advice and suggestions, especially the more experienced cyclists who often are eager to offer tips, suggestions, and equipment recommendations.

PFP is nothing short of amazing. It offers opportunities you may not see in any other Parkinsons setting. You will build relationships. You will build a community. And, you will increase your health quotient.-Judith Wilson

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Pedaling 4 Parkinsons Announces New Courses For 2016 Ride

LONE TREE, CO Organizers of the sixth annual Pedaling 4 Parkinsons bike ride, on Saturday, June 11. 2016, announce our second year at Sweetwater Park in Lone Tree, Colorado and one new route raising the options to four routes: a Century Ride , Metric Century , 37 and 10 Mile Ride. The ride draws hundreds of riders every year, from expert cyclists to novices all united in the fight to find a cure for Parkinsons Disease. The ride is the largest fundraiser in Colorado benefiting the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research.

The Tandem Bike Project, a part of the P4P event, is an opportunity for people with Parkinsons Disease to participate in the Metric Century ride even though they might be unable to do so on their own. People with Parkinsons Disease ride as stokers on the back of a tandem bike with a captain in front. Tandem cyclists can choose to ride all or part of the Metric route. The Tandem Bike Project is made possible in part by da Vinci Designs of Denver, Eyecycle Colorado, and The Natural Way Racing Team.

Research has shown that cycling, especially at higher RPMs, helps manage and reduce disease symptoms, so its a perfect opportunity for riders with Parkinsons Disease to participate in a greater way than they could on their own, said Laura Fiske, President of 3 4 Fighting Parkinsons, organizers of the ride.

When:7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Where:

Stay Strong Keep Moving

Over 1 million people in the U.S. live with Parkinsons Disease, with approximately 60,000 Americans diagnosed each year. Many people are able to reduce or delay symptoms of the disease through regular exercise and therapy.

The YMCA offers a variety of classes and programs to help people with Parkinsons stay strong and keep moving, :

This class is for individuals with Parkinsons and others with neurological challenges. The pace is steady with appropriate intervals, brain calculation exercises, and synchronized muscular responses produced during the cycling class.

The Parkinsons in Motion class focuses on cognitive components and voice skills to help people with Parkinsons Disease in their everyday living.

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How You Can Get Involved

Our research program at the Davis Phinney Foundation, like our core mission, is uniquely focused on helping people with Parkinsons live well today. Each year, we partner with leading researchers and institutions to fund quality of life research that shows promise to help change how people live with Parkinsons, not years in the future but right away. Guided by our Science Advisory Board, we have supported more than 30 research studies focused on exercise, nutrition, gait, speech, telemedicine, alternative therapies, and other interventions that affect quality of life. Many of these studies have progressed to late-stage clinical research. Others have received NIH and PCORI funding, while others have become therapies that are being used today by people living with Parkinsons. And some, like the Pedaling For Parkinsons study, do all of these, helping countless people with Parkinsons live well immediately .

You can play an essential role in this research by supporting our Quality of Life Research Fund. to learn how your contributions help our Science Advisory Board say yes to more promising research projects that change peoples lives.

Pfp Ideal Program To Study Real

Exercise is known to exert a protective effect on brain health and could be a complementary therapy for Parkinsons and like diseases. Both the Parkinsons Foundation and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend 90 to 150 minutes of exercise per week , while only 27% of patients are estimated to meet the recommendation, the study noted.

Barriers to exercise, including a fear of falling or a lack of motivation, are likely reasons for low activity levels, and could be addressed through community-based programs, close to patients homes, that encourage participation through social engagement.

PFP is an aerobic cycling program in the U.S. offering stationary bike classes for people with Parkinsons. Classes are held year-round at more than 150 fitness centers three times per week, making PFP an ideal program to observe real-world exercise behaviors among patients in those communities.

Cleveland Clinic researchers enrolled 49 Parkinsons patients, mostly male and white with a mean age of 69 and a mean disease duration of 5.3 years, in a 12-month study of this exercise program. All were already taking part in PFP classes at five facilities in northern Washington state and central Colorado class protocol allows for 45 to 60 minutes of cycling, including warm-up and cool-down periods.

On average, the patients attended 75.6 sessions over its year, exercising at moderate-to-high intensity at each session.

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In September 2017 I Was Diagnosed With Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease At Age 41

It changed my life.

But Im not going to let this be a meaningless disease. Im going to use this to make a difference.

Right before I was diagnosed I had been planning a cycling tour with some friends. We were going to bike across the entire state of Colorado, east-to-west. It was going to be EPIC! But in my training for the tour I kept feeling odd and experiencing strange neurological issues, so I went in to get checked out to be sure all would be okay for the ride. Enter Parkinson’s Disease.

As it turned out, due to the diagnosis, new meds, and feeling horrible, I wasnt able to make that ride in 2017. It made me wonder would I EVER be able to do something like that?

But instead of slowing down and letting PD stop me, I decided to kick things into gear and fight back AGAINST Parkinson’s! So, I took this past year to adjust to the new normal of life with PD, worked to understand my new limitations, and pushed myself to go beyond them. Now those friends who went without me in 2017 are ready to conquer Colorado in 2019 THIS time from South-to-North .

And were not just going to be riding for fun. Were going to use this as an opportunity to fight back against Parkinson’s Disease by raising money for the Parkinson Association of the Rockies!!

My amazing family: Hannah , Kristi , me, & Noah .

Thats me and some of my dear friends participating in Pedaling for Parkinsons in 2018. We did the 60-mile route!

Pedaling For Parkinsons Mission

The mission of Pedaling for Parkinsons is:

• To improve the quality of life of Parkinsons disease patients and their caregivers.
• To educate patients, caregivers, and the general public about the benefits of maintaining an active lifestyle after a Parkinsons diagnosis.
• To support research dedicated to the prevention and treatment of Parkinsons disease.

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Positive Views Regardless Of Age Disease Severity

Results showed participants viewed the cycling program positively. Nine questions in the Personal Beliefs and Knowledge survey section that addressed exercise in relation to the disease showed patients are motivated to exercise due to their diagnosis and possess a general belief that exercise is beneficial to their physical and mental well-being, and its mean score was 4.37 out of 5.

Mean scores among the seven health and disability questions, which addressed motor symptoms like dyskinesia, balance and gait, was 4.25 a score of 4.11 was given the 14 questions concerning the PFP program, like comfort and ease of equipment and 4.35 for the fitness environment that addressed issues including cost, location, and transport accessibility.

The Fitness Environment subdomain revealed that cost of the program, parking and transportation, proximity to residence, and ease of gym navigation are important to participants, the researchers noted.

Nearly half of these 40 people learned of the PFP program through word-of-mouth, indicating that the community bond was strong within the PFP classes. Others had heard about it through support groups, healthcare providers or facility advertisements.

Regardless of demographic variables and disease severity, patients who attended a PFP program enjoyed the class, felt that their symptoms benefitted from exercise, and were motivated to exercise by their diagnosis, the researchers concluded.

Pushing The Pedal On Cycling Research

One of these studies began in 2018 whenDr. Anson Rosenfeldt and Dr. Jay Alberts led a project to determine if Pedaling For Parkinsons , an existing, low-cost program typically hosted by public recreation agencies and YMCAs, can slow Parkinsons progression. Also, the project sought to identify which individuals respond the most to this type of exercise. This study represented a translation of clinical research to everyday life, showing the power of research on peoples quality of life.

The research team followed 50 participants, tracking their motor symptoms, non-motor symptoms, number of classes attended, and quality of life over 12 months.

Manuel Ramos, a study participant and member of the Pedaling For Parkinsons class in Arvada, Colorado, hopes that the study would corroborate the belief many of us have that high-intensity exercise like cycling is one of the best things to do to combat Parkinsons.

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The Research Study Experience

Judith says that at the beginning of the study, the participants completed physical and cognitive assessments and were given a heart rate monitor and a cadence monitor used to collect data in each spin episode. Then, we were off!

She says that their PFP group continued on its merry way working hard every session but having so much fun that occasionally an outsider would pass the room and turn around and come back, requesting to join the group that was having too much fun doing something as hard as spinning!’

Observing the quantifiable variation of one days ride compared to another was interesting, Judith says, as was seeing how consistent pictures of each of our capabilities and performance outcomes became noticeable over time.

What Is Parkinsons

Parkinsons disease is caused by a breakdown in the nerve cells in the brain. The affected nerve cells do not produce enough dopamine, which affects your ability to move the way you want. Tremors, stiff muscles, slow movement, and trouble with balance or walking are all symptoms of Parkinsons disease.

In time, Parkinsons affects muscles throughout the body, leading to difficulty with swallowing, digestion, facial movements and more.

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