The Power of Movement: What Exercise Can Really Do for Parkinson’s

This week on Life in Motion: The Parkinson’s Podcast, Bryce and Brian are joined by Dr. Nina Mosier and Lauren Lewis from Power for Parkinson’s for a conversation that goes far beyond “you should exercise.” Nina shares how watching her father live through Parkinson’s, including the dramatic improvement he experienced after finally starting an exercise program, helped inspire the creation of Power for Parkinson’s nearly 14 years ago. From there, the conversation opens up into what Parkinson’s-specific exercise can really look like. Nina and Lauren explain how their classes are built around Parkinson’s symptoms, with seated and standing options, cognition, cardio, voice, balance, dual-task work, and more. They also talk about why movement should challenge the brain as well as the body, and why community can be just as important as the exercise itself. And then things get physical. Lauren takes Bryce, Brian, and members of The Club through a live sample workout, including seated balance, weight shifting, opposite arm-and-leg movements, voice, cognition, and enough movement to leave Bryce wondering why Lauren isn’t even breathing hard. Later, Nina and Lauren join Brian for an exercise-themed round of Shakey or Fakey, with questions about cycling, dual-task training, motor learning, urinary symptoms, and even whether mentally rehearsing movement can improve motor skills. The big takeaway from Nina and Lauren is refreshingly simple: Move every day. Even if it is only for a little while. And whenever you can, make your brain work while your body is moving. Power for Parkinson’s offers thousands of free Parkinson’s-specific exercise videos and classes for people at different ability levels. 👉 Learn more about Power for Parkinson’s: ⁨@PowerforParkinsons⁩ hwww.powerforparkinsons.org/ 👉 Join The Club: htclub.dolifetoday.com/👉 More Parkinson’s resources: httdolifetoday.com/ New Parkinson’s resource: Speaking The Invisible httpinvisible.dolifetoday.com/ this episode helps you, please Like, Subscribe, and Share it with someone living with Parkinson’s or caring for someone who is. Chapters 0:00 Opening 3:15 Welcome to Life in Motion 4:09 The Power of Movement 5:00 Meet Nina, Lauren & the Power for Parkinson’s team 8:14 Nina’s story and her father’s Parkinson’s journey 11:09 The exercise breakthrough that changed everything 14:14 How Power for Parkinson’s began 20:03 Meet Lauren, the exercise “dynamo” 25:01 Bryce’s Parkinson’s story and learning about exercise 28:00 Parkinson’s symptom-directed exercise 30:01 Voice, cognition, yoga and other class formats 35:17 More than 2,000 free exercise videos 35:49 Why community matters 44:00 Why exercise matters after diagnosis 48:20 Brian’s News 49:52 Ping-pong and Parkinson’s 55:00 Lauren puts Bryce and Brian to work 58:45 Can you really train balance while seated? 1:03:00 Opposite arm and leg movement 1:06:23 Surviving the workout 1:09:00 Shakey or Fakey: Exercise Edition 1:25:39 Bonus question: Can thinking about movement help? 1:29:41 Nina and Lauren’s final advice 1:31:22 Closing ⚠️ Important Note This is my personal Parkinson's medication journey-what works for me may not work for everyone. Parkinson's is different for each person, and medication plans should always be tailored to individual needs. Before making any changes to your medication or treatment, consult with your doctor or healthcare provider. This video is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission. #Parkinsons #ParkinsonsDisease #ParkinsonsExercise #PowerForParkinsons #LifeInMotionPodcast #DoingLifeToday #LivingWithParkinsons #ParkinsonsFitness #ParkinsonsCommunity #ParkinsonsSupport #ExerciseForParkinsons