The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Parkies



If Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, sold more than 25 million copies in thirty-eight languages, how far will my blogpost go if I title it “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Parkies”?  Let’s find out!

I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s about seven years ago (!), and I think it’s safe to say that I’ve held up well.  I’ve worked with two movement disorder specialists (one for six years, the other for just one), and every time I’ve seen them for my four-times-a-year checkup, they frequently gasp as they run me through their routines.  “That’s amazing,” they mutter to themselves when, say, I tap my thumb and forefinger on my right hand, and then my left.  Both hands work perfectly:  the thumb and forefinger spread wide apart, then smoothly tap together and spread apart again.  Both hands accomplish this without any hesitation or nervous tremors, and both hands maintain a brisk tempo.  (Tip:  when I have to do this part of the exam, I sing a fast song to myself in my head, like Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.”  Hearing the music in my mind causes me to move my fingers in a steady beat like they’re dancing.)

So here are my seven habits of successful Parkies!  If you have additional habits that work for you, please add them below!

  • Exercise frequently and walk everywhere.  I try to work out at least four times a week, and I should really increase that to five or six.  I swim laps in our town pool; lift weights at the gym; ride on a spin bike for 60 minutes, pedaling at a cadence of 100 rpm; do yoga and stretching exercises at home; take ping pong lessons; and walk as much as I can.  I live in the New York City suburbs, and if I go into Manhattan for the day, I frequently avoid the subway and buses, and just walk from one appointment to another, racking up miles on my feet.
  • Challenge yourself with simple tasks that PD tried to put a stop to.   See the photo at the top of this post?  That’s my right hand, and those are all the keys I carry around with me:  keys to the house, to my school building and office, to my gym locker, my car, etc.  When I first started getting Parkinson symptoms, I couldn’t use my right hand to insert a key into the lock.  My hand trembled too much, and I needed my left hand to help guide it.  But I challenged myself to regain my right hand’s independence, and, as you can see in the photo, I succeeded.   A similar challenge for me is to thrust my right hand in my pants pocket and, by feeling each coin I have there and noting its size and other features, calculate precisely how much loose change I have. 
  • Listen to your favorite music on playlists, but play the songs in random order.  Last week’s NY Times had a relevant article about music therapy for cancer patients, but it mentioned other diseases like Parkinson’s.  One of the music therapists explains that “Music lights up neurons between the right and left hemispheres of the brain…It can also aid in neuroplasticity, helping the brain form new connections.”  So that’s good.  But I want to add that listening to music you like lifts your spirits…and having your iPhone or computer play the songs in random order boosts the rush.
  • Balance what you eat, to avoid constipation and its opposite partner in crime, fecal incontinence.  Similarly, time your fluid intake, so you avoid bladder urgency when riding long distances on a bus that has no toilet.  Shortly after I was diagnosed with PD, I suffered through a week of constipation and was shocked by how severe it was.  I cured myself by adding lots of flax and chia seeds to my morning oatmeal, and haven’t been constipated since.  However, I later had to cut back on these seeds after a few, thankfully private, bouts of fecal incontinence.  Now I try to eat a mostly Mediterranean diet, and my gut and I are friends.  Similarly, an hour before I leave work, I drink a full glass of water.  Then I use the toilet just before I clock out.  I’m able to drive 40 minutes to my home without zooming way over the speed limit because my bladder is about to burst.
  • Learn something new.  As I mentioned above, I started taking ping-pong lessons, a unique and fantastic experience for me.  I find I have to split my attention between what’s going on with the ball and what’s going on with my body, and this feels strange and new.  For example, during the lesson I may be standing in the middle of my side of the table, and the instructor may hit the ball to the left of me.  I want to move left to intercept it, so I pick up my left foot and shift it over.  “No,” my instructor says.  “When you move to the left, lift your right foot first.”  This is both counter-intuitive and mind-boggling.  I have to pay attention simultaneously to the ball sailing across the table, which I can see, and my right foot, which, being out of sight, I can only feel.  Is this an example of creating new neural pathways?  I don’t know, but it acts like a breath freshener for my mind.
  • Maintain good sleep hygiene.  I go to bed by 8:00 every night, because my alarm goes off at 4:00 a.m. and I leave home to drive to work by 5:15.  I have a set routine that I follow each night, which works like a switch to flip my mind into sleep mode.  First, I fill my compartmentalized pill tray with the next day’s pills.  Then I take all my nighttime meds.  I lay out the clothes I will wear to work the next day.  I brush my teeth and take a shower.  I get in bed and read some fiction, which puts my mind in a sleepy state.  And then I fall asleep.  When the alarm goes off at 4:00 the next morning, I jump out of bed so I can gulp down the first round of pills.  It’s all a routine, and it helps keep my life on track.  (Note:  I banished the TV from the bedroom, as it’s anti-soporific.)
  • Socialize and have fun.  I work at a public charter school in the Bronx that is famous for its relaxed and friendly ambiance (as well as very high scores on the state English and math tests).  My main job is to coach new teachers, with whom I work side-by-side in the classroom.  Thus, I’m always talking with kids as well as the teachers; it’s a highly social scene.  Also, I belong to a table-tennis group for people with Parkinson’s; the members (including the volunteer instructors who don’t have PD) are friendly, dynamic, and energetic, so it doubles as a support group.  I also email friends around the world and am active on Facebook.  I always try to stay upbeat.  “Better upbeat than beat up” is a jokey pun I just invented.       

So those are my seven habits as a person battling Parkinson’s disease.  Again, if you have questions, feedback, or additional recommendations, please comment below.

12 thoughts on “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Parkies”

    1. Hi Kai – Another activity is to pick up a handful of golf tees with your right hand and try to set them upside-down one-by-one so they’re standing straight up on your table. Tally ho – Bruce

  1. When I’m out walking and feel I’m a bit slow I listen to 120 bpm for neurplasticity on Spotify and it gets me going!

  2. I know how important it is to keep on the move with exercise but the more I do my fatigue is worse so I’m tempted to rest instead of move what do I do for that problem. …..

    1. Hi Sylvia – Sorry to hear about the fatigue that interferes with your workout regime. I’m not sure what kind of exercises you do, so my suggestions may be off the mark. But if you belong to a gym, sign up for some of their classes, like spin bike and yoga. Or if you have a friend at the gym, become workout buddies and agree that, say, every Wednesday afternoon you’ll get on adjacent elliptical trainers and use them for, say, 30 minutes non-stop. Once you’ve established a base of exercises you can complete effectively, try upping the ante, like using the elliptical trainer for 45 minutes instead of just 30.

      Also, music helps motivate people to perform faster and for a longer duration. Create a play list of songs that keep you jumpin’ and use that to motivate yourself.

  3. Thank you Bruce for spreading a way to build a positive attitude. We were diagnosed around the same time it seems and I also have noted slow symptom progression due largely to my exercise regime, I believe. I swim x5 / week, gym, box and yoga/Pilates x2 each. All your habits contribute to your wellness, and mine, when I change a few things.

    1. Hi Brenda – Nice to meet you and thanks for your comment. When you swim 5 x week, are you doing a special workout? Are you a swimmer who does all four strokes? I swam in high school and on a few Masters teams as an adult….I like the way you mix things up, too – gym, Pilates, etc. Keep it up! – Bruce

  4. Bruce I like what I see in your story but I must say first you appear to be many years younger than I am , I was diagnosed Nov. 2017 when I was 85 years old , am now 87 but I have many more medical problems , a bad back will not allow me to exercise , disintegrating disc from the end of my spine to the waist. Plus Parkinson’s I was told just three months ago it was worse but when you retire and get older these things just catch up with you and I will be here doing my things until my LORD calls me home then I will be with my husband who has been there since 1982… Thanks for listening to me, Betty

    1. Hi Betty – Thanks for writing. While the content of your message has a lot of not-so-great information, the tone is still positive to my ear and you seem to be holding up well, despite all your problems. Best wishes to you going forward. – Bruce

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