Paul's Story

Paul's Story

They say Parkinson’s can limit your life, but what I’d say to that is, it depends where you put your limits.

Paul was very active as a kid, playing virtually any sport that he could. And as an adult, his love of sport remained, which made his diagnosis with Parkinson’s all the more challenging. This said, as his symptoms have changed how he’s able to keep moving, he’s found new activities to try and new tricks to keep himself motivated. Walking football has replaced standard football, and he’s even taken up solo ping pong playing. By setting himself little targets and challenges, Paul has found can keep himself going, on his good days and even on days that might be tough.

I just feel like a normal person. I’m just free of what’s going on in there. It’s so nice.

They say Parkinson’s can limit your life, but what I’d say to that is, it depends where you put your limits. Um, so you can still achieve things. You can still have a good quality of life. And you’ve just gotta be aware of what you can and what you can’t do.

So, I freeze sometimes, I have trouble walking. I have trouble with my movement. I have trouble speaking sometimes. You know, I’ve tried to set myself of five minutes, six minutes, or a distance of a kilometre or something like that, if I can manage it.

Thought I’d try a different activity today. This activity is fishing. Enjoyable getting out of the house, all the birds tweeting and singing away. Loving it.

‘Cos I’ve been told with Parkinson’s, one of the things with Parkinson’s is, you must keep moving, you must do exercise, because that, that just keeps you moving all the time.

Well, I’ve always loved ping-pong. Always loved watching it, the speed of it. The tempo is fantastic.

I did a bit of research and I found this, like, ping pong swing-ball type thing. It just keeps you going. It just keeps your fine motor skills going, but, uh, it's good fun.

How Paul Gets Moving

During COVID-19, Paul has turned to a solo ping pong set-up that he found online. Even though he’s playing on his own, he still finds it massively enjoyable. Paul’s condition has also caused him the occasional bout of insomnia, which he’s turned into opportunities to take early morning walks on the beach with his dog. Keeping moving is important to Paul because it’s how he keeps his joints “nice and free.” While he looks forward to being able to see his walking football teammates when things return to normal, he’s found there are plenty of ways he can keep himself moving, occupied, and having fun.

Related Resources

Here are some resources related to Paul’s story about moving more:

Parkinson's UK - Getting active with Parkinson's