‘Challenge the Trainer’ for Parkinson’s Awareness Month

Are you a gym member ready to challenge your trainers and support Parkinson’s awareness?

For many people with Parkinson’s, exercise is a vital part of managing their symptoms. Research has shown regular physical activity can reduce the severity of motor symptoms, such as issues with balance and freezing of gait, alongside providing a variety of mental benefits.

So to mark Parkinson’s Awareness Month this April, we’re holding our first ‘Challenge the Trainer’ campaign! Gyms can take part by setting their trainers exercise challenges and getting gym members involved to see if they can beat the trainers’ high score.

We’ve come up with some challenge ideas, each linked to a significant number related to Parkinson’s, but you can use your imagination too!

• Push-Up Challenge – How many push-ups can you complete in 37 seconds? (1 in 37 people in the UK are predicted to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s in their lifetime).
• Treadmill Challenge – How fast can you run in 2 minutes? (Every hour, 2 more people are diagnosed).
• 30-Minute (1,800-Second) Challenge – (The number of people with Parkinson’s in the UK under the age of 50 is estimated at 1,800).

Challenge structure:

• 30 minutes total
• 30 seconds of 8 exercises (mix of cardio & strength training) x 6
• 1-minute rest between rounds

It’s simple for members to take part. They set up a JustGiving fundraising page, track how many reps they complete across all exercises and then challenge their trainers to see if they can beat their record!

Want more information on how your gym can get involved? Get in touch with Gina.

Let’s push boundaries, raise awareness, and make a difference this Parkinson’s Awareness Month!