Parkinson&Sport

HOW PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BUILDS OUR WELL-BEING, FROM MUSCLES TO THE BRAIN.

Dopamine, BDNF, movement and sports: what you need to know. 1st part

A ‘molecular pharmacy ‘ just for us, totally natural and km. zero, always at our disposal, without side effects and at no cost. This is the first specific and important benefit of sport on our health. A fundamental therapeutic action to combat Parkinson’s.

 

We can no longer ignore it , science says it and RUUD OVERES , our guest at the interview with “I take the lever and I arrive” at 9 pm after dinner on Thursday 28-01 also told us, which I invite you to review.https://www.youtube.com/embed/KIMTDLoIs5Y?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=it-IT&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

 

Sport determines the production of hormones and neurotransmitters , including dopamine , which are very powerful for our psychophysical well-being, and also creates a regenerative stimulus of brain cells, which responds to sport by producing the neurotrophic factor BDNF , that is brain i.e. derived neurotrophic factor, a growth factor that allows the brain to develop as if it were a muscle.

 

The decrease in BDNF levels is associated with neurodegenerative diseases with neuronal loss, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and Huntington’s disease. In addition to the neuroprotective effect, BDNF also plays an important role in energy homeostasis.

Physical activity, exercise, sports activity.

The evident and numerous benefits of physical activity make the difference in our life, generating important effects on our psychophysical well-being : but we must be clear that they are not the same thing and must be addressed with the right approach to get all the benefits. Let’s see what the differences are.

 

Physical activity or movement: according to the World Health Organization,  physical activity  means “any effort exerted by the musculoskeletal system that results in a consumption of energy higher than that in conditions of rest”

In our daily life, movement is about everything we do to survive, from personal hygiene, to walking, even just sitting or getting up from the sofa is considered physical activity.

Physical exercise: it is the planned and intentional attempt, specifically intended for improving physical fitness and health . It can include activities such as brisk walking, cycling, aerobic exercise, and even active hobbies such as gardening.

 

Sport activity: refers to physical activity that involves structured and unstructured competitive situations, and refers to a number of attributes such as endurance, mobility and strength, related to the ability to practice physical activity.

 

Physical exercise and sporting activity require, as structured, planned, repetitive and intentional movements , the application of the principles of training, the scientific method, the modulation and control of the parameters of quality, quantity and intensity of the stimulus .

 

By  sports training we mean the process of physiological adaptation   to the physical effort of  the human body  made by the athlete  to improve their  sports performance . In other words, practicing sports in an organized way   to express the best performances in a competition – or even just for one’s own psychophysical well-being  .

As part of a correct sports training it is important to define the objectives we intend to achieve , in order to correctly structure the training in terms of specificity, gradualness, progression and continuity .

 

This is why the correct and most useful choice for the purpose is to rely on a professional who, starting from a certain data regarding the current physical condition, determined through the functional evaluation test , structures the personalized training program that takes into account all these aspects, including the recovery phases.

Thursday 4 February in the 36th episode of the interviews of “I TAKE LEVO E ARRIVO”, on our YouTube channel Parkinson & Sport we will host my athletic trainer ALBERTO SCHIVARDI , a great and generous friend, my travel companion in this adventure from day one, who follows me providing me, in addition to his training, also AS2O his gym.

 

We will see how we set up the specific work on me, talking about the concepts of gradualness and progression, which combined with continuity and recovery, create the conditions for obtaining the desired results.

In the continuation of this article, we will see – through the data we have been recording since 2014 – if and how my body’s response has changed since the arrival of Parkinson’s and how we have overcome moments of difficulty.