Retraining the brain

I have been using Nordic Walking Poles for some months now, and improved my walking, posture and balance to some degree. Once I had overcome the initial difficulties of co-ordination, putting the correct foot forward together with the opposite hand and pole, I began to slowly increase the length of time walking. Retraining the brain, is a matter of much patience and simple repetition. For me personally, I find saying something out loud, somehow makes a difference. I probably look and sound like an idiot, and thank goodness there are no hidden cameras, otherwise I would make a perfect candidate for "Candid Camera" (now I'm showing my age as this was a British comedy programme aired on television from 1960-1976).

I have since found, through trial and error, that several short bursts of exercise are better than one long episode a day. Too much exercise in one go can be counter-productive. Although short periods of exercise are preferable, they probably don't do much from a cardiovascular point of view. Someone with vast experience in Parkinson's to help keep mobility, suggested a particular exercise which caught my attention:

Stand at a counter in your kitchen, with feet slightly apart, (this is the bit that I liked!) "squish a bug" by grinding the toe of one foot on the floor. Try to relax the thighs and do this not too fast, not too slow. Just release tension in the thighs. After 10 - 20 seconds, rock over to "squish a bug" with the other foot!

There are a number of good exercises one can do standing up, and the kitchen counter top is a perfect place providing a safe sturdy surface at the right height to hold onto. I knew there had to be a reason why we ordered such a long counter top - and there was my husband thinking it was just to hold more baked goods!

If you would like to read a little more this morning, take a moment to look at my latest article on The Huffington Post.