Stu - 71 Years Young

I was a healthy guy, played recreational hockey for years, maybe not Wayne Gretsky, but I made up for my poor shot with great skating and organizational skills. Then at age 50, I suffered my first heart attack. This was so unfair, I didn’t smoke, rarely drank, wasn’t over weight and didn’t have a family history of heart problems. Okay, so our lifestyle became even healthier and I faithfully followed the heart rehab exercise program. I started playing hockey again, but just didn’t feel very good. So, a second heart attack at 53 was rather discouraging. Again, I followed all the exercise advice. My hockey career was essentially over but I could still skate recreationally although I had to be careful not to get my heart rate too high. And I love to skate.

Fast forward to 2018/19, and I was very unwell with a variety of seemingly unrelated symptoms. Summer 2019, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), a so called mobility disorder but for me I had lots of cognitive problems. The neurologist put me on medication but he emphasized that regular exercise was as important as the medication regime.

We have known Randy as a neighbor for years and we knew he was a personal trainer. So, we approached him to see if he would work with me. Shortly after we started training, I tried to skate again. Let’s just say it was a disaster. PD had taken away my muscle memory for skating so Randy incorporated exercise focused on muscles used for skating and balance. Then COVID struck and the rinks closed to recreational skating.

Well, we’ve been working together just over a year with a long term goal of improved fitness and maybe skating again. I haven’t had a chance to get on my skates this year but there is no question, I’m healthier, stronger and feeling better than ever before. Not only has Randy’s progressive training program helped with strength, mobility, balance and cognitive acuity, but my heart is also strong. A PD diagnosis is just bad luck but it’s led me to working with Randy and our world is a better place.