Note: This blog entry was written at the beginning of December. I had every intention of finishing and posting it during the first week, but apathy has come a calling with anxiety at its heels (neither of which are conducive to writing, let alone, thinking straight).
Good morning December! Good morning to all the turkeys who didn't get eaten last Thursday. You are free to wander around the country side once again! New month. Fresh chance to begin anew, if need be. Grateful is still the name of the game. I know that if I want to stay as strong as possible, I am going to need to work very hard every day. Let's talk physically strong, shall we? Little did I know all those years ago when I was just a little girl learning how to dance, that one day my physical strength, flexibility and warrior's mindset would save my life. Good morning to all the turkeys who didn't get eaten last Thursday. You are free to
Last week was Black Friday here in Northern California. Nowadays, you can score some really good deals from the comfort of your couch, rather than having to get up at 12 (mid-night) just to grab things and fight in the stores over who saw it first. Been there, done that....
As you know if you have been keeping up with my blog, I had DBS surgery for the second time this past summer. Unlike the first DBS, it is taking much longer this time around, to "bounce" back. I actually decided to wait an extra two weeks this to begin exercising (mostly out of fear that something would go terribly wrong). After the first DBS, I couldn't wait to get back to it. This time, not so much. I have had to literally restructure my workouts to get the most out of my body, while remembering to include big movements that cross through my midline. Neurologically speaking, a lack of midline crossing could result in poor communication between the left and right sides (hemispheres) of the brain. The left and right side both like to work in isolation and crossing the midline requires communication between both sides. So those of us who have pd need to be doing exercises that cross the midline, so that both sides of our brain are activated. Think of the midline as an imaginary line which begins at the top of your forehead and ends between your feet.
I follow a few different people online, as their workouts do all this and more and are keeping me flexible and safe from injury. I literally have gone back to my roots in ballet, where every muscle is involved. I feel like the instructors designed these classes for me (they clearly have not), but it sure feels like it.
I am also finding that my feet and toes are especially weak. They are dragging during any type of movement that requires me to point and flex my feet. My next blog entry is going to go into detail about what specific exercises I am doing to strengthen my toes, feet and ankles.
As the saying up above says 'Life may not be the party we hoped for', but we can still have a dance party! One of my favorite things to do is to put on music and dance around the house all by my lonesome. There is something about music and dancing which frees the soul!