Exercise is never an option for someone living with Parkinson’s. It has been shown time and time again to ease a wide range of symptoms, improve mood and it is thought to slow progression of the disease down. It is the single biggest thing we can do to help ourselves. If a neurologist told me there was a pill which could do all of these things, then I’d do whatever it takes to get hold of this ‘wonder drug’.
Even with this knowledge, there are times when I might prefer to curl up on the sofa rather than get up and go. I rarely let my desire for the latter win but despite the rewards, it not always easy to maintain the motivation, day after day, month after month.
As well as developing a love of cycling, I’m lucky to have a large group of friends to cycle with. Exercising with others makes it fun, sociable and so much easier to do. Inevitably, I go further and faster when I’m out with others.
The same is true of the gym where I share a personal training session with a friend who also has Parkinson’s. Again this makes it more fun and we inevitably spend some time afterwards checking in with each other. Making that commitment to exercise with someone else means I’m much more likely to maintain that commitment to avoid letting anyone else down.
Sunday mornings have become a favourite fixture in my diary. Amongst our friends, there is a small, well established group who cycle every Sunday morning. When training for our Raid Alpine change we were invited to join them and since then, Sunday mornings have, whatever the weather, become physically challenging, socially rewarding and our knowledge of the best cake and coffee stops in Gloucestershire and beyond has become second to none.
Thank you to these wonderful friends for making it ‘Easy like Sunday Morning’.
Challenging Times 