Our friend, Karen Hodgson, helps us to deliver PD Warrior classes as part of Fighting Fit in Leeds.

Karen is a Director Hallamshire Physiotherapy Clinic and they currently run PD Warrior Classes successfully in Sheffield and Chesterfield.

You may have seen our earlier Fighting Fit article about Karen here .

Due to the issues with the Covid-19 virus they are currently unable to run face to face classes so are proposing to run 3 on line classes per week via the Zoom App.

These classes will be 30 minutes in duration and will be run by one of their experienced team.

The classes will be:

• Mondays at 2pm
• Wednesdays at 11am
• Fridays at 2pm

Classes are £5 each.

If you are interested please don’t hesitate to contact Karen on 0114 2671223 or 07841 864304 to discuss.

Karen says “We realise it is important to keep people with Parkinson’s exercising so let us know if we can help”.

INSIGHT has become the largest ONLINE GLOBAL CONFERENCE for people living with Parkinson’s. It runs for three days in April and is delivered entirely online with over 60 speakers presenting on a range of topics and live panels.

The event is FREE for people to attend for the first 3 days of the broadcast with a premium upgrade option available to those who wish to revisit or re-watch some of the content. It is anticipated that in 2020, INSIGHT will attract up to 10,000 delegates from over 60 countries.

INSIGHT 2020, Future Frontiers, offers an opportunity for people living with Parkinson’s, as well as their loved ones and associated health professionals the opportunity to hear from world leading experts, academics, specialists, clinicians and other people living with Parkinson’s in a convenient and accessible ONLINE platform unlike anything else!

INSIGHT brings the entire conference directly to you in your living room on ANY internet enabled device 24/7! Watch the presentations, re-visit them in your own time, join the online conversation, and visit the exhibition booths.

For more information visit https://www.insightintopd.com

Here are five reasons to join us at INSIGHT 2020!

1. First three days are FREE! If you want more, you can upgrade to stream-on-demand for another 30 day access.
2. You get 60+ World Class speakers direct to your living room.
3. All of the ticket profits go to our registered Charity Partners to support Parkinson’s research and support services globally.
4. INSIGHT is a World First event and the largest online annual event in Parkinson’s.
5. You can connect with over 5,000 researchers, academics, clinicians and other people living with Parkinson’s from all around the world!

Maria Lewis and Sally Tawhai are Chartered Physiotherapists. They are members of the Excellence Exercise Hub and were involved in writing the Parkinson’s UK Exercise Guidelines.

Their interest in Parkinson’s developed after being approached by a client who had been diagnosed, but had found that there was very little physiotherapy support available in her area. Understanding the importance of exercise in the fight against Parkinson’s, Reach Your Peak Online was created to empower people with mild symptoms of Parkinson’s and teach them how to exercise to treat their symptoms.

The aim is to create an environment where you can receive all the benefits of a personalised physiotherapy exercise programme without the constraints of time and location. The Reach Your Peak ‘Virtual Clinic’ means that you can access your treatment at a time and place that suits you.

The good news is that for people with Parkinson’s they are offering 2 weeks of online exercises absolutely free. To check this out go to https://www.reachyourpeakonline.com/website-home.

The next “Get Started” exercise programme starts on April 6th. This is great for people who don’t yet exercise regularly, but want to get going (£97 for 11 weeks!) For all those people who already exercise regularly (more than x3/week) they have a “Keep Going” programme. New exercise class or mobility/stretch programme every week, along with a weekly cognitive challenge! (£39 a month).

There are no tie in’s to any of the programmes, so if people want to jump onto one whilst they are stuck at home and finish once they can exercise in the community again, thats fine!

All the programmes come with a RYP app, so can be accessed on any mobile device.

Dr Laurie Mischley is a well-respected nutritionist and Parkinson’s researcher at the University of Washington. She also runs a clinic for people with Parkinson’s in Seattle.

The Parkinson’s Foundation of North America recently hosted a webinar in which Dr Mischley give a presentation entitled “Does nutrition play a role in PD symptoms or progression?”.

To watch the presentation you need to go to this link and sign-up to view – https://parkinson.zoom.us/rec/share/yONcC4rS_GJJG8_o7R3nY_8aAJzpX6a8hHdNr_sFn0vkcLXYa3NMSkJ-CsYAy_0V

In a fascinating 40 minute presentation Dr Mischley takes a holistic perspective and surprisingly argues that negative effects of loneliness can have a worse effect than the positive effects of exercise.

She says that a shift towards a plant-based, wholefoods, Mediterranean-type diet is recommended.She argues that exercise is itself a form of nutrition and that pwp should be exercising for at least 30 minutes every single day.

She encourages everyone to nurture relationships and have something on the calendar with a friend every day because being a part of a community is itself medicine.

Finally, she says you must protect your sleep like your life depends on it – you have to get a good night’s sleep.

This is a really interesting presentation with practical insights – don’t miss it!

The 10 Week Challenge has been designed from the latest science and tested on thousands of people over the years to ensure that you get the best chance of slowing your symptom progression down.

Even if you’re a fit person who exercises regularly, the PD Warrior way of exercise is specific to Parkinson’s, your symptoms and your response to exercise. Done right, your new exercise program will help you move, look, and feel better than ever and ultimately help you to live well with Parkinson’s.

To find out more and to sign up visit https://pdwarrior.com/10-week-challenge-online/

The cost is about £15/week for the essentials – but what do you get?

Exercise video: Each week you’ll receive an exercise video designed to win back your symptoms. Each weekly routine is graded, so you start small and gradually progress. 

Theory video: Education is key!  So each week you’ll receive a new educational video, starting with “Parkinson’s Explained” and “Neuroplasticity” in Weeks 1 and 2, then moving on to the 7 Core Principles for exercise during the next 7 Weeks. 

Downloadable resources: Over the 10 weeks you’ll receive 7 downloadable resources to help motivate and educate you on your journey, as well as set your goals and track your progress.

Meet the talent: Each week you’ll be introduced to one of the star PD Warrior talents who will help guide you through the exercise videos.

Motivational quote: Handpicked weekly motivating quotes along with some words of thought provoking inspiration to help you on your journey.

Motivating story: What motivates more than a story of someone who has done it before?  Each week you’ll meet a PD Warrior who has already Trained Brave and is now Living Brave!

Weekly review email: What you need to do right this minute to get started.