{"id":497595,"date":"2026-02-25T02:17:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T02:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/497595\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T02:17:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T02:17:07","slug":"new-exercise-tips-aim-to-help-people-with-parkinsons-stay-active","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/497595\/","title":{"rendered":"New exercise tips aim to help people with Parkinson’s stay active"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Parkinson\u2019s Foundation<\/a>\u00a0and the American College of Sports Medicine<\/a> (ACSM) are teaming up to make exercise more accessible and sustainable for people with Parkinson\u2019s disease<\/a> \u2014 while keeping patients safe.<\/p>\n

The foundation and the ACSM, which bills itself as the world\u2019s largest sports medicine and exercise science organization, have announced updated exercise guidelines for Parkinson\u2019s patients \u2014 the first in three years. The new updates incorporate expert feedback and insights focused on time management, exercise dose and intensity, and adaptations as the disease progresses.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Parkinson\u2019s Foundation is committed to ensuring that individuals with Parkinson\u2019s disease receive the most current and effective guidance for exercise, which is why we meticulously reviewed our exercise recommendations after three years to integrate valuable insights from the community and professionals,\u201d John L. Lehr, president and CEO of the Parkinson\u2019s Foundation, said in a press release<\/a> announcing the new guidelines.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are proud to continue our partnership with ACSM and provide people living with [Parkinson\u2019s disease] important guidance on staying active and living well with the disease,\u201d Lehr said.<\/p>\n

Recommended Reading<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A progressive disease, Parkinson\u2019s is marked by motor symptoms<\/a> that include slow movements, rigidity, tremor, and balance and walking issues, as well as nonmotor symptoms<\/a> such as cognitive problems and mood changes.<\/p>\n

Regular exercise can help those with Parkinson\u2019s stay independent<\/p>\n

Establishing\u00a0regular physical exercise<\/a> habits has been shown to ease Parkinson\u2019s symptoms by helping patients maintain muscle strength and improve balance and mobility. Incorporating a regular activity program can also help people with Parkinson\u2019s stay more independent in daily tasks, according to the partners. It may also help ease mood changes and improve thinking skills.<\/p>\n

The new recommendations<\/a> stretch across four domains: aerobic activity, strength training, stretching, and balance and agility.<\/p>\n

These updated guidelines also advise patients to engage in physical exercise during on times, the periods of time when symptoms are well controlled with medication, have supervision if needed, seek functional evaluation from a physical therapist, and register exercise routines and physical and cognitive changes over time.<\/p>\n

The recommendations emphasize engaging in moderate to vigorous aerobic activity three days a week, for at least 30 minutes per session. This could be brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming, dancing, or interval training \u2014 a program that alternates short, high-intensity exercise bursts with lower-intensity recovery periods.<\/p>\n

Strength training is also advised, preferably 2-3 times per week on nonconsecutive days for at least 30 minutes per session. These sessions should target major muscle groups in the core and limbs, using body weight, resistance bands, handheld weights, or weight machines. During these exercises, participants should focus on good posture, per the guidelines. Weights and bands should be used with caution.<\/p>\n

Stretching exercises should involve active range of motion, or movements a person can produce at a joint using their own muscles. This should be done with deep breathing before and after exercise. Balance and agility exercises are recommended at least 2-3 times per week. However, these can be more effective if performed daily.<\/p>\n

Balance, agility, and multitasking exercises include multidirectional stepping, weight shifting, turning, and large movements such as yoga, tai chi, dance, and boxing.<\/p>\n

Recommended Reading<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Guidelines urge 2.5 hours of physical activity each week<\/p>\n

Overall, patients should participate in 150 minutes, or 2.5 hours, of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week, ideally combining different types of exercise, the recommendations say. Leveraging local communities may help people with Parkinson\u2019s maintain motivation to exercise.<\/p>\n

Exercise is essential to living well with Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n

The foundation and the ACSM note that each of the recommended activities can pose specific safety concerns and require supervision. For instance, aerobic activity in Parkinson\u2019s patients may carry a risk of freezing of gait, low blood pressure, or the inability of the heart to properly increase its rate during exercise. Meanwhile, it\u2019s important to note that muscle stiffness may hinder full range of motion, strength training, and stretching.<\/p>\n

Stretching, balance, and agility exercises may require adaptations due to a flexed posture, pain, fragile bones, balance issues, and changes in body awareness. For exampled, during balance exercises or stretching, patients may hold on to something stable as needed.<\/p>\n

Katie Feltman, ACSM\u2019s CEO, said the important thing is for people with Parkinson\u2019s to get active.<\/p>\n

\u201cExercise is essential to living well with Parkinson\u2019s disease. We\u2019re proud to partner with the Parkinson\u2019s Foundation on updated, evidence-based recommendations that support safe, effective, and sustainable physical activity for people with Parkinson\u2019s,\u201d Feltman said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The\u00a0Parkinson\u2019s Foundation\u00a0and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) are teaming up to make exercise more accessible and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":497596,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,407,84],"class_list":["post-497595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-fitness","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=497595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/497596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=497595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=497595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=497595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}