Creating Your Personalized Parkinson’s Wellness Plan: Integrating Exercise, Nutrition, Sleep & Mental Health

In this episode of Live Parkinson’s – Live an Exceptional Life, learn how to create a personalized Parkinson’s wellness plan that works for you.
Learn how to integrate exercise, nutrition, sleep, and mental health into your daily routine to improve mobility, boost energy, and live your best life with Parkinson’s.

I share practical tips, real-life experience, and evidence-based insights that will help you build a wellness plan designed for your body, your symptoms, and your goals — because no two Parkinson’s journeys are the same.

💡 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• 🏋️ Exercise as Medicine:
  How movement can slow progression and boost dopamine (SPARX Trial, JAMA Neurology).
  Discover the best types of workouts for strength, balance, and energy.
• 🥗 Nutrition for Brain & Body:
  How a Mediterranean-style diet supports cognitive health and symptom management.
  Practical tips for timing meals around medication and maintaining steady energy.
• 😴 Sleep Strategies:
  Understand the connection between rest, inflammation, and symptom control (Neurology, 2019).
  Learn simple ways to improve your sleep routine and recovery.
• 🧘 Mental Health & Mindset:
  How mindfulness, gratitude, and community can improve mood and resilience (Movement Disorders Journal, 2020).
  Small daily practices that lead to a more positive and hopeful outlook.
• 🧩 Putting It All Together:
  Build your own “Wellness Wheel” to identify strengths, set achievable goals, and track progress.

✨ Take Action Today:

Ready to start designing your personalized Parkinson’s wellness plan?
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Chapters

• 0:10 Welcome And Purpose
• 0:34 Why Personalization Matters
• 2:43 Exercise As Medicine
• 7:03 Building A Realistic Workout Mix
• 11:59 Nutrition That Supports Medication
• 16:02 Sleep Barriers And Fixes
• 21:10 Mindset, Therapy, And Community

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:10

Hello, and welcome to Live Parkinson's Live an Exceptional Life. I'm your host, Chris Kustenbautter, and I've been living an exceptional life with Parkinson's for the past 15 years. The mission of this podcast is to help as many people as possible living with Parkinsons to lead a great quality of life. Today, we're going to be talking about something that can completely change how you live with Parkinson's. Something that's simple but powerful. And that's creating your own personalized Parkinson's wellness plan. Now let me ask you something. What if you could take control of your Parkinson's journey, not by fighting against it, but by building a plan that helps you feel stronger, think clearer, sleep better, and live more joyfully every single day. Because here's the truth, or the dirty little secret, if you will. Parkinson's affects everyone differently, and there's no one size fits all solution. But the good news is you have the power to design a plan that fits you, your body, your symptoms, your energy, and your goals. Now, today we're going to be diving into how to create a plan step by step by focusing on four essential pillars exercise, nutrition, sleep, and mental health. So by the end of this episode, you'll have a clear, practical roadmap that you can start using today to feel better, live stronger, and move forward with more confidence. Now, before we get into the how, let's talk about the why. Why should you have a personalized Parkinson's plan? Well, as I mentioned earlier, every single person living with Parkinson's experiences it differently. Symptoms can vary from tremor to stiffness to fatigue, and what works for one person may not work for another. So what's bothersome to me might not be to you, and vice versa. Now, I've seen it my own journey. Early on, I tried to follow the generic advice, exercise more, eat healthy, get sleep, but it wasn't until I personalized a plan to meet my specific needs and goals that it all started to click for me. Now, believe it or not, there's actually some solid research backing this up. The Parkinson's Outcomes project, run by the Parkinson's Foundation, found that people who take an individualized approach, working with their healthcare team, to build a plan around their personal needs, report a higher quality of life and slower progression over time. So that's why I like to say you're not just the patient, you're the CEO of your Parkinson's journey and of your wellness team. So you get to make all the decisions and set the vision for your journey. So today we're going to be talking about how to lead that team and how to take control of your journey as well. And let's start with the big one. And my personal favorite, which you've heard me tell talk about a hundred times, and that is drumroll, please, exercise. Now you probably heard it a thousand times. Exercise is medicine for Parkinson's. And honestly, it's not just a catchy slogan. It's true, and the science proves it. The Sparks trial that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Neurology in 2018 found that people with Parkinson's who did high-intensity exercise or what they call HIT training, about 30 minutes of risk movement three times per week actually slowed the progression of their symptoms. Exercise boosts dopamine levels. It's going to help us improve our balance. It's going to strengthen our heart. And it's going to help your brain make new neural connections, also known as neuroplasticity. Now I know what you're thinking to yourself. Chris is telling me that I need to hit the gym. And you might be saying to yourself, I'm not very athletic, and I hear what you're saying, but I'm not great at exercise. Well, let's make this realistic. You don't need to train like a professional athlete. Start where you are. Everybody has to start somewhere. And as the old saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single footstep. So wherever you are, that's where you start. And then you want to slowly progress and build on that. Now, if all you can do is walk around the block, that counts. It's where you start. So let's look at some of the specific exercise categories that you really want to include when you're thinking about exercise. First, so you don't get bored and do the same thing all the time. And second, so that you can work on different muscle groups and different functional movements that are going to help you in your daily life. All right, and so let's talk about some categories that you should consider. And the first is aerobic exercise. And this is going to help you with your cardiovascular fitness. And you want to try to get your heart rate up at least three times per week. Now, this would include things like cycling, brisk walking, swimming, or even if you want, dancing in your kitchen. So it's anything that's going to get your heart rate up for an extended period and then bring it back down. So that's aerobic exercise and it's going to build that cardiovascular fitness. Next up is strength training. And that doesn't have to be going to the gym and lifting heavy weights and dropping them on the floor. Strength training can be as simple as doing bodyweight exercises like bodyweight squats, which could be sitting in a chair and standing up and sitting back down. Me personally, I use light weights and just do more repetitions. You can also use resistance bands, things that are going to help you maintain that muscle mass because as we age, we're going to lose a certain percentage of muscle mass every year. And the stronger our core, our legs, and our shoulders and arms are, the better our balance is going to be because those are what's going to help you with your stability. So you want to make sure that you include strength training as well. And then finally, balance and flexibility. And these can include things like yoga, tai chi, boxing, and even pedaling for Parkinson's class because you're trying to balance on the bike. Now, for me personally, I like to do a mix of all these. And one of the reasons I do it is because it I get an overall body workout. So I do something different each day. So I might do aerobic exercise Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and strength training Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. And then I also throw in balance training every day. And then I try to stretch as well because it's going to help me maintain my flexibility and movement. I love to teach the pedaling for Parkinson's class. And not only is it because it's great exercise, but it's a great social activity as well. We all look out for each other and we get concerned when someone's not there, especially if they're not there for two or three classes. We start to, we contact them and saying, hey, we'd like to see you back in class. But part of the reasons I love leading the pedaling for Parkinson's class is you've got energetic music. The workouts are going to provide a benefit. And I've seen that in the people that participate. They've grown so much in the things that they can do. And just the friendships that we've formed from the class, it makes it a fun and enjoyable way to exercise. So if you haven't tried it, look in your local area to see if they have a peddling for Parkinson's class. I think you'll really enjoy it. So when you're designing your own exercise plan, think about what makes you feel good and then build around that. Do things you enjoy because they're the things that you're going to stick with. And you want to start small, track your progress, and this is important. You want to celebrate your wins because every movement matters. People that exercise, and if you notice people with Parkinson's that exercise, people say, wow, you're doing pretty well. Because exercise is going to help you in the long run. So make sure you do that. And then one of the things I do for balance is I also lead a boxing class because that helps maintain your stability over your core, and it's a great exercise for balance as well. So that's something that you may want to consider if you enjoy boxing. Now, remember to always get approval from your healthcare professional before you start any exercise program to ensure that it meets your specific health needs and that your doctor's aware of what you're doing. All right. Next up in our countdown of the pillars is nutrition. Now, I'm going to be honest with you. When I was first diagnosed, my idea of a healthy meal was a cheeseburger, maybe without the fries. But over time, I learned a lot. And after doing a lot of research, I learned that what we eat can have a big impact on our energy levels, how I feel, and how it affects my symptoms. And also how it affects things like inflammation and even how well it works with our medication. So for instance, one of the things I've talked about in a previous podcast is timing your meals with your medication, especially if you're taking carbodopa levadopa, that you try to not eat a high protein meal at the same time because that's going to affect the absorption. Now, after doing some research, and I've done a podcast on this as well, the Mediterranean diet has been studied extensively for its brain and heart benefits. And there was a 2021 study in Frontiers and Nutrition that found that people who followed the Mediterranean style diet, which is rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, nuts, and lean protein, like poultry and fish, had slower Parkinson's progression and better cognitive function. So if you want to learn more about the Mediterranean diet and its benefits on Parkinson's, check out the podcast that I did on that. Now, based on my research, here's what I learned works best for most people living with Parkinson's, myself included. First up is eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables. Eat as many different colored vegetables as you can. Try to get oranges, yellows, reds, greens, purples, because those antioxidants in there are going to help you protect your brain cells, which in my case are very limited. Next up, you want to include lean protein for muscle strength, but again, be mindful because protein can interfere with how well your body absorbs levatopa, which is oftentimes your primary medication to treat your Parkinson's symptoms. Now, here's one that often gets overlooked, and that's stay hydrated, because dehydration can worsen fatigue and stiffness. So try to drink water throughout the day, even if you're not thirsty, because once you start feeling thirsty, you're already starting to get dehydrated. And dehydration is a big problem in people with Parkinson's. And then finally, don't skip meals. Steady energy is the key. So if you have to eat smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day if this is going to help. Now, if you want a practical step, try planning just one healthy meal each day to start. Maybe it's oatmeal with berries and nuts for breakfast or grilled salmon with roasted veggies for dinner, whatever it happens to be, just start small because if you try to change your diet all at one time, you're going to end up doing what I used to do. And that was go back and forget about what I learned and go back to doing what I was doing before. So by to make changes, it's better to start with one small step and then continue to build on that. Now, here's the best part. You don't have to be perfect because I'm not perfect for sure. Start with one healthy nutrition habit and then build on it. All you have to remember is you just have to be consistent. All right, so let's move on now to something we all wish we had more of, and this is pillar number three, and that's sleep. And maybe it's just me, but talking with most of my friends with Parkinson's, they all struggle with sleep as well. And getting quality sleep with Parkinson's can be tough between muscle rigidity that we all experience, medication timing, some of us have vivid dreams, and then sometimes even anxiety and depression can make sleep feel elusive. Now, as an example, I was on a Parkinson's medication for about 12 years, and my sleeping was horrible, to be honest. No matter what time I went to bed, I'd still wake up late clockwork between 2:30 and 3 o'clock in the morning. And then what was happening then is by noon and early afternoon, I was in a mental fog. I had trouble focusing and staying awake. I couldn't read. And so it was really affecting my quality of life. So I mentioned this to my doctor because I was also falling asleep on the couch at 7:30 at night. And I just mentioned that it was I was tired all the time, I couldn't focus, and it was really affecting how I participated in activities. So we decided to wean me off the medication, and it took me a little while. And after weaning off the medication, I was put on a new medication, and now I'm sleeping seven to eight hours per night, and I feel like my old self. It's totally unbelievable. I can't, I feel like a new person again. So the reason I tell you this story is if you're having trouble with sleep, let your doctor know, and they can try to help identify what some of the causes are. I know I went and saw a sleep specialist, and maybe that's what you need to do, or maybe it is a medication that's affecting your quality of sleep. But talk to your doctor and they can help you make the changes necessary to ensure that you get good quality sleep because that is going to be uh pay dividends in the long run. I want to go over some things that are called sleep hygiene. And again, I've done some podcasts on this as well. But these are some of the things that are going to help you hopefully fall asleep and stay asleep. And one is to keep a consistent bedtime and a consistent wake up time because your brain, believe it or not, loves routine. So whether that's during the week or on the weekends, try to go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time every day. Second, make your room cool, dark, and quiet. Now, if you're having trouble with your balance, don't make your room so dark that you're tripping over something and you're gonna fall and injure yourself. But try to make your room cool, a nice temperature, that you're not sweating and getting hot and that's waking you up. And then make it dark. But if you do have to get up and use the restroom, that there's enough light that you can see what you're doing. And then make sure it's quiet, because that's gonna help as well. Now, this is a the third one is really key, and that is avoid screen time 30 to 60 minutes before bed. And what I mean by screen time, that's your phone, TV, laptops, tablets, because the blue light is gonna trick your brain into thinking it's daytime, and that's gonna affect your sleep-wake cycle. So, if possible, try to at I would say a minimum of try to an hour before bed, try to make sure that you're not doing a lot of screen time. So instead, read a book or put a puzzle together or you know, pet the dog, whatever it happens to be. Try to do that instead of spending time um on your laptop or your tablet. And then finally, try some relaxation techniques like gentle stretching, deep breathing, and or listening to calm music. I know I used to do that. I'd put my headphones in, play some music on a real low volume, and the next thing you know, I was asleep. Now, I like to think of your sleep as your body's overnight maintenance crew. Give it the time and the condition it needs to do its job. Now, believe it or not, your body's gonna repair itself and it's gonna store your memories while you sleep. That's why sleep is so important. Your body's repairing itself, and that's when your memories are stored. So if you're interested in the sleep cycle, let me know, and I can cover that in an upcoming podcast. Last but not least is pillar number four, and that's mental health and mindset. Now, let's talk about the most powerful and sometimes overlooked pillar, and this is mental health. Mental health is often uh stigmatized, but it's something that we all need to address living with Parkinson's. Now, we all know that living with Parkinson's isn't just a physical challenge, it's an emotional one as well. Because depression, anxiety, and apathy are very common in people with Parkinson's, but here's the key piece they're also treatable. In fact, studies show that up to 40% of people with Parkinson's suffer from anxiety and depression. And I've seen other numbers that are often much higher than that. So remember, your mindset matters. Now, not just in the in the uh fluffy sense that, you know, oh, just keep a positive attitude, everything's gonna be fine. I mean, the kind of mindset where you learn to accept what you can't control and focus on what you can. Because remember, a lot of things are out of our control, but let's focus on the things we can control. Now, I've done cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT. For me, it was a very positive experience and it helped me overcome panic and anxiety issues. So if you're having issues with anxiety, depression, or apathy, please feel free to seek out assistance from a certified therapist because they're going to help you manage these issues so that you can live your best. There's nothing wrong with seeing a therapist or telling your doctor because they can help you address these issues. So rather than being depressed or anxious all the time and maybe limiting your social life, let them know and they can help you. There's a lot of different things out there that they can do. It doesn't necessarily have to be medication. Like I mentioned, I did cognitive behavioral therapy, and essentially that's a way of changing your thinking and replacing negative thoughts with positive thoughts. So if you're more interested in that, check out my podcast on cognitive behavioral therapy. Now, there's some fascinating research that shows that mindfulness and gratitude practices can actually boost dopamine and improve your mood. In a 2020 study in the Movement Disorder Journal, found that regular mindfulness training reduced stress and improved emotional regulation in people with Parkinson's. So let's talk a little bit about some things that can help you with mindfulness and gratitude. And the first one is very simple. Start your day with a simple gratitude journal. List three things that you're thankful for. Now it sounds simple, but you'd be really surprised at the powerful impact it can make because when you start out looking at things that you're grateful for, uh you start your day on a positive note, and that sets the tone for the day. Second, try a short five-minute guided meditation or deep breathing session. There's a lot of apps out there, or you can go online or go onto YouTube and find different guided meditations or deep breathing sessions. I do these myself and they really do help because you're focusing on your breathing and you're just letting those thoughts pass by. You're recognizing them but letting them go. And then thirds, stay socially connected. Join a local support group, join a boxing class, peddling for Parkinson's class, or volunteer in your community. When you volunteer and you participate, you learn that others might be going through the same problems as you, but it also helps you forget your problems as well. Now, I once read a story about a man that was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown, and he went to see the psychiatrist, and the psychiatrist told him, Go help your neighbor. And he looked at the psychiatrist weird and said, How's that going to help me? He said, Because when you help your neighbor, you're not focusing on your own problems. You're helping someone else. And that seemed to work. Now, I'm not saying that's in all cases, but if you need help, please seek professional help and they can help you overcome some anxiety and depression issues. Now, for me, connecting with others who get it has been incredibly healing. I like to say community is the best medicine that doesn't come in a pill. Now, I have friends that we share our issues with and we share how we address them. Because a lot of times people living with Parkinson's think that we're, oh, we're the only ones that's experiencing this. When in fact, a lot of times when we get together as friends and say, hey, I'm having a problem, I'm having trouble with sleep, or I'm having trouble with rigidity, and we talk about what we've done, then all of a sudden you people relate to that and you learn to help each other. And then you also learn that you're not alone and that we all struggle with some of the same things. All right, so let's bring this all home and put it all together in terms of our Parkinson's wellness plan. Now, we've talked about four key pillars exercise, nutrition, sleep, and mental health. Now, these aren't just boxes to check, they're going to be the foundation of your daily wellness plan. Now, here's how we can start putting it all together today. So grab yourself a notebook and draw a simple wellness wheel. So it can be a wheel with four spokes, or if you want to think of it as a pie, four pieces of pie. Or if you like a box, draw a square and put enough where you have four boxes. And then what you're gonna do is divide the four sections into one into exercise, one into nutrition, one into sleep, and one into mental health. And then you're gonna rate yourself from one to ten in each area, and then write down some things that you're doing really well. If you're exercising, maybe you say I'm walking three times a week and I'm doing balance exercises. And then same thing with nutrition. You know, I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, whatever it happens to be. So rate yourself from one to ten and then uh list some things where you're doing what you're doing really well. And then also down below that, list some things that you could use some work on. So maybe with exercise, maybe you're not doing any strength training, and you want to include strength training. So that way you can start making some goals on how you're gonna incorporate strength training into your program. Or nutrition, maybe you're not getting enough protein. So make sure that you can set a goal on how you're gonna get more protein into your diet without affecting your medication. And or maybe it's you need to hydrate more. Same thing with mindfulness. Maybe you're not doing any daily meditation or mindfulness techniques. So write down what you need to work on. And then next, choose one small specific goal for that week ahead. So maybe it's I'm gonna walk 15 minutes three times this week, or I'm gonna meditate five minutes before bed, or I'm gonna drink two extra glasses of water a day. Whatever it happens to be, remember, start where you are, start with a small, actionable goal, and then build on it. Remember, small steps are gonna lead to big change. That's how you're gonna build momentum. And then what you want to do is begin each week with one specific actionable goal for each of these four pillars. Try to accomplish your goal each week. Now, if you didn't complete it, that's fine. Don't beat yourself up over it. Just carry it over to the next week. It's better to have small, actionable goals that can help you make changes and progress over time than it is to try to make these big broad goals and have say, I'm gonna change my exercise and I'm gonna do all this stuff, and then you don't end up doing anything. So remember small, actionable steps each week, and then reward yourself. Be proud of yourself and keep track of the wins that you have. So here's your takeaway from today: you have more control than you think. Parkinsons may change the path that you're on, but it doesn't define the destination. You can still live a spectacular, exceptional life, one day, one habit, and one choice at a time. Now, if you'd like a little bit of help getting started, head over to liveparkinsons.com and sign up for the free monthly newsletter. It's full of practical tips, resources, and inspiration to help you live your best life. And I'm currently working on a PDF for a personalized wellness planner, and I'll get that up there as soon as I can. And then if you'd like to support the podcast and the mission, you can either visit Kofi.com slash liveparkinsons or just click on the support the show link on my Buzz Sprout page. So I want to thank you for tuning in today. And remember, keep moving, keep smiling, and keep living exceptionally well with Parkinson's. Remember, you control your journey and how you want to live your lives. Thanks again for listening, and I hope to see you all soon.