Parkinson’s Exercise: Why Functional Training is Your Secret Weapon for Independence

Stop just "working out" and start training for your life.

In this episode, we dive into the transformative power of Functional Strength Training for People with Parkinson's (PWP). If you’ve ever struggled with getting out of a chair, reaching for a shelf, or maintaining balance while walking, this episode is your roadmap to regaining control.

We move beyond traditional gym machines to explore research-backed movement patterns that mimic daily activities. Grounded in clinical data, we discuss how functional exercise promotes neuroplasticity and helps combat bradykinesia (slowness of movement).

In this episode, you will discover:

• What Functional Training is: And why it’s different from standard weightlifting.
• The Science of Neuroplasticity: How complex movements help "rewire" the brain to bypass PD obstacles.
• Top 5 Functional Exercises: Step-by-step instructions for the Sit-to-Stand, Clock Reach, and more.
• The Ideal Frequency: How often you should train to see maximum neuroprotective benefits.

Whether you are a person living with Parkinson's or a dedicated care partner, this episode provides actionable strategies to improve your quality of life today.

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 #Parkinsons #ParkinsonsExercise #FunctionalTraining #Neuroplasticity #ParkinsonsSupport #LiveParkinsons #MobilityTraining #ElderlyFitness #ParkinsonsAwareness #ActiveAging 

Chapters

• 0:10 Welcome & Mission
• 0:27 Why Functional Training Matters
• 1:31 What Functional Training Is
• 2:17 Research Backing Daily Task Practice
• 4:23 Neuroplasticity, Bradykinesia & Dose
• 5:25 Safety Disclaimer & Personalization
• 6:26 Sit-To-Stand And Grocery Reach
• 8:08 Purposeful Walking, Push And Pull
• 10:21 Carries, Lunges & Clock Reach
• 12:13 Frequency, Sets & Form First
• 13:34 Start Small, Build Capability
• 15:44 Newsletter, Support & Final CTA

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:10

Hello and welcome to Live Parkinson's Live an Exceptional Life. I'm your host, Chris Custombotter, and I've been living an exceptional life with Parkinson's for the past 15 years. If you're new, the mission of this podcast is to help people living with Parkinson's and their families to lead a great quality of life. Today we're talking about something that is quite literally the engine of your independence. Imagine you're at the grocery store. You see your favorite coffee on the top shelf, you reach up, stabilize your core, grab the coffee, and put it safely in your cart. Or maybe it's a simple act of getting out of your favorite armchair or sofa without needing the one, two, three count, or in my case, needing a crane to help get me out. For many of us in the Parkinson's community, these everyday moments can feel like Olympic events. But what if I told you there's a specific research-backed way to train your body to handle these exact daily tasks with more ease and grace and less struggle and grit-like determination? Today we're diving deep into functional training. Now it's just not about working out, although that's very important as well. It's about working for your daily life and independence. So let's dive in and answer the question what exactly is functional training? Well, in the fitness world, we often think of traditional training as using weight machines or dumbbells to do bicep curls, leg extensions, shoulder presses, rows, those type of things. Now in most of these cases, we're isolating one muscle group, like the bicep, the triceps, deltoids, or the trapezius muscles. Functional training, on the other hand, is just the opposite. It's a multi-joint, multiplanar movement. It mimics things that you do in your everyday real life, like squatting, reaching, twisting, carrying, and stepping. Oh, and let's not forget balancing. So with functional training, instead of just training one muscle, you're training a movement pattern. For someone with Parkinson's, this is crucial because Parkinson's doesn't just affect one muscle, it affects the software in our brains that coordinates these muscles and how they talk to each other. Now I'm a science nerd. There, I said it, and so I like to share the research so that you don't think that I'm just making these things up. Now there was a major systematic review of occupational therapy and functional tasks-based interventions for Parkinson's, and they found that training built around real-world tasks leads to meaningful improvements in your daily functioning. The study titled Occupational Therapy Interventions for Instrumental Activities of Daily Living for Adults with Parkinson's Disease, a systematic review that was published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, reviewed and analyzed 22 high-quality studies and showed interventions focusing on physical activity, task-specific practice, and functional movement patterns produce clinically significant improvements in your activities of daily living. So these are the essential tasks like dressing, bathing, handwriting, medication management, and household activities, as well as being able to transfer out of a chair. Now the strongest evidence came from programs that included functional training, practicing real life movements and daily tasks, task-specific physical activity, interventions targeting handwriting and fine motor control, as well as programs designed to improve medication adherence and self-management. Now the review concluded that functional tasks-oriented exercise is one of the most effective ways to improve or maintain independence in people with Parkinson's. Now these interventions don't just build your strength, they also build capability. They help people perform the activities that matter most in daily life. So in short, when you train with the task that you want to keep doing, you protect the life that you want to keep living. Now, here's why the science supports the benefits of functional training. First, our friend neuroplasticity, and I've talked about this a lot of different times on different podcasts, but it's the ability to form new neural connections. Functional moves are complex. They require us to focus, and this cognitive engagement helps us to create new neural pathways, essentially teaching your brain to bypass some of the Parkinson's roadblocks that are put up. Next is bradykinesia, also known as slowness of movement, and range of motion. Research shows that high-intensity functional tasks can improve braidokinesia better than static stretching alone. And then finally, there's the dose effect. Studies suggest that we get 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week, and that's the sweet spot for neuroprotection. Functional training is going to allow us to hit that intensity while simultaneously improving our balance. Alright, so there's the science behind and what's supporting functional training. Now let's get into the meat and potatoes of the episode. Here are some of the core movements to consider as part of functional training programs if you have Parkinson's. Now, before we dive in, I want to provide this disclaimer to always review any new exercise program with your healthcare professional first to ensure that it is appropriate for your specific health needs. Now either they or a certified physical therapist can help you to design a functional training program that meets your specific needs. Alright, these are the functional training exercises that I like to do as part of my functional strength training program. And these are based on some clinical evidence. So these are examples, but as I said, try to talk to your healthcare professional or certified physical therapist or a trainer certified in working with Parkinson's to help you design a functional strength training program. So leading it off, I like to do sit to stand, also known as chair squats. Now these are designed to simulate getting out of chairs or getting out of the car, and that's something that we all do on a daily basis. To do the sit-to-stand, sit on a sturdy chair with your feet hip width apart, and then try to stand up without using your hands if you can. If you can't, that's okay too. Just work on standing up in a safe manner. And then try to do 10 of these if possible. But if you're just beginning, maybe you only want to start out with five. Also, if you need a support for safety while you stand, use it because safety is the number one priority. Now the sit to stand exercise builds leg strength, power, and confidence in getting up from chairs. Alright, next up is the grocery reach. Now these are to help develop overhead mobility. And these really help train your muscles for reaching to take things off a shelf or put things on a shelf. For these, stand tall, feet about shoulder width apart. You want to reach one hand in the air, imagining you're reaching to grab a can or something on an upper shelf in the grocery store. Now, if you can, gently lift the opposite leg from your extended arm off the floor. Now if you have balance issues, keep both feet on the floor and use a wall or counter for support. You can also practice reaching your hand and arm across your body to a shelf and then place the imaginary item in a grocery cart on the other side. This helps build your leg strength and your coordination. Number three is purposeful walking, or I like to call it exaggerated walking. And it's done to help improve your gait and stride length. Now to do these, you want to walk with big, exaggerated arm swings and high knees and alternate with longer strides as well. Now it's important if you have balance issue issues to use supports and have someone spot you if you lose your balance. Now walking or hiking poles are a good option. Now the key with this exercise is to focus on doing heel to toe strikes with every step. So landing on your heel and then rolling to your toe. Now these are great exercises to build your leg strength, your balance, and your coordination. Number four is push movements. Now for these I like to do wall push-ups or push-ups on a counter. And you can also do these on your knee as well and do push-ups, knee push-ups on the floor if you're capable. So these are going to strengthen your upper body for daily tasks like pushing doors open or getting up off the floor if you happen to be on the floor. Now, if you can't do wall push-ups, that's okay. Have someone stand in front of you while you're seated and hold their hands up, and then just use your hands and arms to try to push them away. This is going to help you with your push movements. Now, just like the yin and yang, if you do an exercise one way, you also want to do a counter exercise. So once we're done with our push movements, it's time to work on our pull movements. So if you have a resistance band or lightweights, or you can even use canned goods, they'll work too, water bottles as well. And then from a seated position with resistance band or weights, put your and put your arms in front of you and then use your arms and shoulders to pull the resistance towards you. And you want to try to keep your arms at a 90 degree angle, so they're they're bent, and you want to pull the weights towards you while trying to keep your arms and elbows as close to your body as you can. This exercise is going to help with our posture and our shoulder and back strength and stability. Alright, moving on to our next functional movement, the carry movements. Now, whether it's carrying grocery bags, suitcases, gardening tools, we need to have a good grip strength, coordination, and balance. So one of the exercises that I like to do and that you can do to simulate this is the farmer's carry. And using lightweights in each hand, practice walking across the room, turn slowly, and walk back to where you started. Now, if you have significant issues with balance, I don't recommend that you do this exercise. The farmer's carry is going to help with grip strength, core stability, and real-world functional power for carrying things while you walk. Now, if you can't do these and you still want to build your grip strength, you can sit in a chair and use a small ball and squeeze it while you rotate the ball. So you want to squeeze the ball and then keep rotating it. That's going to help you with your grip strength. Now you can also use a stress ball as well. That's another option. Now the next exercise is the multi-directional lunge, and it's done to work on fall prevention and agility. And the best way to do these is to use a steady counter or wall for support. And what you want to do is step forward with one leg, then step back, bringing your feet together about hip width apart. Then step to the side and bring your feet back together. Then step back and return to your stance. This exercise trains your hips to help catch you if you stumble. Now I do these exercises because my boxer dog Katie, she loves to walk up behind me when I'm standing at the counter. And if I don't realize she's snuck up on me, I need to make a quick directional change so I don't fall. So these this is a functional exercise that helps me with that. And finally, to work on our stability and balance, we there's an exercise called the clock reach exercise. Now to do this, stand next to a sturdy chair that's not going to move, or use a counter or wall. And standing with your feet hip width apart, gently stand on one leg holding onto your support. Imagine that you're in the center of a clock. So you want to reach your one foot forward that's lifted to the 12 o'clock, then to the 3 o'clock, the 6 o'clock, and the 9 o'clock positions, and then repeat on the other side. Now if you have difficulty with this, you can also do a flamingo stance while brushing your teeth. Now you're probably thinking, Chris, you're nuts. What's a flamingo stance? Well, if you've ever seen a flamingo, they'll often stand on one leg. So while you're brushing your teeth, hold on to the counter and gently lift one foot off the floor, and then try to hold for 15 to 30 seconds and repeat. This is going to help you with your balance, your coordination, and your stability as well. So these are some of the functional exercises I work on to help me in my daily activities. Now, before we move on, I want to stress the importance of getting approval from your healthcare professional before you begin any functional training to ensure it's safe for you. And always prioritize safety and use supports when you need it. Alright, now that we know what exercises to do, that begs the question, how often should we do them? Well the consensus is two to three times per week. Aim for three sets of eight to twelve repetitions for each exercise. Now remember to start out slow and build into it. So if three sets of eight to twelve is too much, then start with one set of five reps and slowly build up to three sets. And then remember the last two reps should be a little bit harder because that's where the growth is going to happen. So, how can you get started safely with functional training? Well, here are some tips to consider. You know, just begin with body weight movements. Use your chairs, walls, and counters for support. Move slowly and intentionally. Now remember, we're trying to train our brains, and it's better to be slow and intentional than trying to go fast but not have good form. Which leads to the next one, which is focus on form. So before adding weight or resistance, make sure that you have good form, because good form is what's going to help us in our day-to-day activities. And finally, work with a physical therapist or a trainer familiar with Parkinson's when possible. Now, me personally, I participate in two different Parkinson's exercise groups with trainers skilled in working with people with Parkinson's. Now remember when doing functional training, the goal isn't to lift heavy, your goal is to move well. So functional strength training isn't about building big muscles, it's about building a life that you can fully participate in and stay independent. It's about standing up with confidence, walking with purpose, and turning without fear. Carrying your groceries, playing with your grandkids, and living your best on your terms. Now Parkinson's challenges are movement. Functional strength training helps give it back. So start small, start with one movement, and build from there. Remember, you're stronger than that you think you are. Now, if today's episode inspired you, take the next step. Visit LibParkinsons.com and subscribe to the free monthly newsletter and get resources and guides like the nine balance exercises to help improve balance and the medication and symptom tracker, along with research-backed articles. Now, if you want to help me in my mission to help people live a great quality of life with Parkinson's and support the show, you can click the support the show link in the podcast description or visit my Kofi.com slash Live Parkinsons page to contribute so that I can help to reach more people. Also visit my YouTube channel and subscribe to do the 30-day Parkinson's tip challenge, as well as I'm starting some other new series on developing exercise, nutrition, optimism, and social interaction programs. So if you found this beneficial, share it with a friend. And until next time, stay healthy, stay strong, and live your best life with Parkinsons.