Technology that encourages exercise

I like to use tools to help me keep track of all that I need to do, and how well I'm doing it, especially when it comes to exercise - because that's medicine. My recent experience is with the Fitbit Alta and with the Apple Watch 1.

I had a Fitbit Alta, which told me to get up once an hour, kept track of my heart rate, and tracked my sleep (different Fitbits provide different features).  After 8 months the sleep tracker stopped working right, and the Fitbit often wouldn't remind me to get up. And it was hard to get the Fitbit to show me the time - ever.  But the watch part still works, so now my husband has it.

There was a deal on an Apple Watch 1, which cost about the same as the Fitbit, so now I'm wearing the Apple Watch, which is paired with my iPhone (also a recent deal when my Samsung phone started failing).  Since the AW only works with an iPhone, I would not have considered the AW before. Gotta say that now that I've figured it out (mostly) the AW has much to recommend it.  Besides the heartrate, the AW does actually bug me to get up - but not if I was active during this hour - so it doesn't bug me when it doesn't need to.  I also can select from a bunch of types of exercise, called Workouts, and use the AW to keep track of what I did with the calories from exercising, time spent exercising, and number of hours I stood up.  Fitbit keeps track of minutes of different kinds of exercise - and sometimes counts the exercise correctly, but often does not.  I really got fed up with the inconsistencies - sometimes it would count 35 minutes on the eliptical as exercise, but other times it would ignore it.

Just like with the Fitbit, on the AW I can set goals - not steps, like on the Fitbit, but movement.  If I wanted to count steps (I don't), there are apps for that.  AW won't let me set goals for time doing exercise, or even for standing every hour. Bafflingly, these are goals to work toward, but I don't set them.  More on this in a bit.

One thing that I really like about the AW is that I don't need to do a little dance just to find out what time it is.  Often the Fitbit wouldn't tell the time no matter how much I tapped on it or turned my wrist - ahem, a watch that doesn't tell time is of limited value.

Both devices have different formats for the watch face, but the AW shows more information on the clock face that you customize - in my case analog time with a second hand, heart rate, weather, date, next appointment on my calendar (though there are many other choices, including workout, world clock, timer, stopwatch and much more).  Also, the AW will alert me when an appointment is approaching - like a Rock Steady Boxing class - so that I remember to go.  I've set up appointments with advance reminders for everything on my phone calender - otherwise I just won't remember.  Every phone I've ever had has had this kind of calendar app, and I need it now more than ever. Having the reminders on the watch is useful because sometimes the phone is in another room and I don't hear it. 

The AW is easier to charge - it charges quickly if you haven't let it become completely drained with a magnet attached to the charger. Easy for when your manual dexterity is suboptimum, which happens when you are a pwp. I had to take the Fitbit off, too, to charge it, but then I had to clamp the charger end onto just the right spot or it would not charge, and a full charge took several hours.  On the other hand, you are not using the Fitbit (at least this version) to input information and choices - that's for the Fitbit app on your phone - which I've found both easier for my awkward PD hands, and easier to understand.  Also, since the Fitbit isn't as smart, you don't need to charge it as often.  The AW needs a charge every day-and-a-half.

This is my first time with the famous Apple-knows-best philosophy.  Some things are set in the AW by the user, some in the iPhone...  and some can't be set at all.   Um, I think I want to be the one to decide the number of minutes that I plan to exercise, not Apple.   Considering the hundreds of people asking the internet how they could change their exercise minutes on the AW, I am not alone. Apple does not know best, and if the Apple interface is so wonderful, why do I need to go to third-party videos and articles to find out how the device works, hmmm?  (End of rant.)

One thing I've found useful is to keep track of all the different exercises I have to do (balance, cardio, strength, finger dexterity, voice, swallowing...) I have started using the Reminders app (comes on the iPhone) to keep track of all the PD exercise that I do - did I do that today?  Oops.  Or, not going to do that today because I already did X.  Very handy - I just check off what I've done and can see what I meant to do, but didn't. The next day I uncheck everything and start again.  This works perfectly on the iPhone, by the way - don't want it on the watch.  I'm sure there is an app like this for an Android phone, just didn't think of it when I had one.

I liked the heartbeat information a bit more on the Fitbit - it was easier to see, and it told me how my resting heartrate compares to other women my age.  On the other hand, the AW shows me how quickly my heartrate returns to normal after a vigorous workout.  I found a free heartrate app that pairs well with the workouts and is way easier to see.

I had to get a separate sleep app for the AW, and it's not as seamless as the Fitbit - the phone needs to be in the room, face down, while I sleep.  I've never had the phone in my bedroom unless I needed to be contacted at night so not wild about this.  Not quite the same information from this sleep app, but more accurate than the Fitbit has been lately.  This brings up another annoying thing about the AW - often it wants the phone to be in your proximity so that the information about a workout will be recorded correctly.  I did 50 minutes of PT that shows as a workout, but never made it to the Activity app - which keeps everything together - because the phone was out in the car during the workout.  The Fitbit just stores information, then when you hold the phone (yes, it has to be that close) the Fitbit sends information to your phone (Android or iPhone). 

In sum? Each has its strengths, but I've found the apps on my phone and watch have helped keep me on the exercise track.


Images from Pixabay

Diets for PD - what has worked for me and what hasn't

Diet is really important, especially if you have something that gifts you with, um, constipation.  Unfortunately, there is no agreed upon "Parkinson's Diet."   That hasn't stopped people from telling you their opinion, though.  (Come to think of it, NOTHING keeps people from telling you their opinion...)

So what have I tried?

Terry Wahls has a special protocol for Multiple Sclerosis, which is heavy on meats, especially organ meats, and heavy on veggies, and has no dairy (because she is allergic to dairy, and wanted to use exactly what she used to deal with her own MS).  In her book, The Wahls Protocol, she talks about her diet as if there has already been a clinical trial of it, so let's use it.  Looking into this more closely, I found that she was exaggerating the "clinical trial" part.  But it worked for her.  On the other hand she has MS and I have Parkinson's, quite different diseases.  But what the heck,  I gave it a try.  But every time I try her special favorites - bone broth and organ meats - I got a strong immune response; the joints that hurt when there's a storm coming ache - but there's no storm coming.  And I just don't feel good.  So drop the organ meat and bone broth. 

I've been lactose-intolerant for decades, so haven't had cow's milk in forever, and I use Lactaid tabs so that I can eat cheese.  I use Almond Milk if I need "milk."  Since some people think dairy might be bad for PD (though the evidence isn't consistent), I tried giving up dairy, which is really hard if you purchase prepared food like... whole grain bread - produced on equipment that might have milk on it/in it.  The killer for me was cheese - I love it.  But I did without cheese for weeks, probably a month.  Feel any different?  Nope.  And I tried vegan cheese, which finally has the mouth-feel of cheese, but does NOT have the taste.  Since then, I've tried regular cheese (might have had a weak immune response - a little ache in my joints.  Also tried organic cheese; not convinced it was produced cleanly, because it gives me immediate diarrhea and a weak immune response - a little joint ache.  But I also tried goat cheese - no problems; I can digest it and there's no immune response.  The only people who don't like eggs for PD are vegans, who already have an axe to grind; their "evidence" is neither consistent nor persuasive.  So eggs are okay, goat cheese is okay - for me.

Some people are anti-carb, but I haven't seen persuasive research.  Certainly, whole grains provide fiber and calories that I need (I don't need to lose any more weight - and never thought I'd say that). 

I looked at Laurie Mischley's work on diet, but her sample size is small, mostly white and, more importantly, she hasn't controlled for exercise or other lifestyle choices like smoking, so I find her work on diet and PD interesting but not persuasive.  I do think she's on the right track with a lot of things - lots of fruits and vegetables, in particular.  Her video, here, and at this link, is well-worth watching. https://vimeo.com/191664871

So what do I eat?  A Mediterranean diet - lots of vegetables and fruit, lots of nuts, whole grains, vegetable proteins with a bit of fish and meat, eggs and goat cheese.  With 7+ servings of veggies and fruits and an hour of exercise each day, I am rarely troubled with constipation.

The biggest problem I have is maintaining my weight - I eat very healthily and exercise a lot.  This was great when I was trying to lose weight, but now I don't want to lose more.  It has been hard to stop losing - I have to consciously snack (nuts and dark chocolate). 

Image from Pixabay.