In the middle of the night: Billy Joel
diagnosed: May 25, 2012 Video : Feb 28, 2012
Use your eyes Damn it!!! It’s as plain as the nose on your face.
It’s been four years since I’ve been on the ice paying attention to little details in movement.
So here I am now doing exercises in my garage/gym watching a Parkinson’s exercise TV program.
Going through all these nice movements and not once did they mention visual attachment .
So let me explain how important it is that we use our eyes when we move doing our exercises.
This is how we explained it to our five and six year old goaltenders.
Imagine, your nose is attached by string to whatever you’re looking at , your target.
Now your target has changed location or moves. If you want to keep your nose and not have that string pull it off,
your nose, in order to stay in line must move as well. If your nose is in line, then that means your eyes are in line.
Simply put
Your eyes lead your head, your head leads to shoulder rotation which leads to hip rotation which allows your feet to reposition , all of them easier, into the new position your target is moving to.
So now let’s play around with that.
you are sitting in your chair staring at the TV .
Point your nose to a target somewhere on the centre of the TV.
Let’s say you can see the instructor sitting in a chair infront of you, focus on a body part, say head or torso.
Now they have you reaching across your body with your right hand reaching for something on the left side.
Pick a target on the wall beyond your reach and reach for that new target. Not just with your right hand but with your nose and eyes as well.
Once you have gotten your nose and eyes, Square to that target, bring your gaze back from the point on the wall to your hand .
Keep your nose and eyes focused on your hand as you bring your hand back in place to the body.
As you bring yourself back to the original starting point and as you bring your hand back in place have your nose stop at and refocus on the original target.
Repeat, doing the other side,
Congratulations you have just completed some visual tracking, depth perception, and some peripheral visual attachment drills!
Our eyes +our vision habits = our visual cues
These visual cues provide vital input for the brain to use that not only helps in movement and balance but almost everything we do.
Provide important inputs to your brain!
Try having your eyes move around quietly, while fixating on a target that is also on the move.
Practice using your peripheral vision.
Practice keeping your eyes level as you’re moving sideways.
Try to reduce your visual resets, up, down, left , right.
The clearer picture you can provide to your brain the better.
Picture yourself reading a book. Ask yourself would the book be easier to read holding it with your tremor hand? Or your non tremor hand?
You will also find as your head and eyes turn, your upper body will turn with it and your range of motion will increase.
All because you engaged your eyes, provided visiual input, into your movement.
If you have lost your sense of smell like I have , Give your nose a new purpose.
you may as well use your nose to get those eyes involved in your movements.
Then again if you happen to look like a Picasso painting please disregard 
But for those of us who don’t….
You will only find what you’ve been looking for
If you use your EYES!
Have fun and be a Warrior
Parkinsons - My Super Power 