Excuses, Excuses, Excuses, And Other Reasons We Fail To Reach Our Goals

When I was in my 30’s I decided to begin piano lessons. I hoped that I was going to discover some unrevealed talent, but, the truth of the matter is, I had no exceptional musical aptitude, and the only thing that improved my performance, was practice, practice, practice. On a good week, I would practice at least once a day. On a busy week, I would practice once or not at all, and on the day of my lesson, while climbing the three flights of stairs to my instructors apartment, I would think of excuses. The truth , however, was quickly revealed when my fingers hit the piano keys. There was really no way to cheat about practice. When I did, it showed in my performance, when I didn’t, well, I struggled thru the lesson, felt guilt and shame, and failed to achieve my goals, which included moving on to a piece of music I longed to play.

So, what kinds of excuses do I hear from patients when they fail to perform an exercise program? “I was too busy,” “we had company,” “ my wife/husband had too many doctor’s appointments,” “I was too tired,” etc… I think the only one I haven’t heard, is : “the dog ate it!” While I realize that we all have busy lives, and it’s a challenge for all of us to remain committed to an exercise program, for individuals with Parkinson’s or other neurogenic conditions, you simply can’t afford not to exercise. You see, Parkinson’s takes no holiday. It’s always present, lurking in the background of your life, changing the way muscles perform. I have patients who tell me that they could once command the attention of a classroom of students, and now can barely be heard by their spouse.
Patients who spent their careers working in sales, who tell me they have stopped answering the phone, because people are always asking them to repeat. And, patients who tell me they used to love taking their wives out for dinner, but have stopped eating out, because they are embarrassed about how much choking and coughing they are doing during a meal..

If you have benn diagnosed with a neurological condition such as Parkinson’s you are definitely going to face some challenges and adjustments. But, once the physicians have prescribed and adjusted your medications, the rest is up to you. Make a decision to do everything you can, to preserve muscle function, and to live well, despite the disease. Make a decision to do some form of meaningful exercise everyday for as long as you can.
As the Nike ad so wisely states: Just Do It!! No Excuses

VoiceAerobics™DVD is a 3-part exercise program, that can be done at home, on your own. rgular use of this program and others may help you to maintain speech and voice abilities for longer.

These monthly articles are intended to: educate, enlist your participation in your own care, and empower you to advocate for your self or others .
(Re-printable with permission from the author: Mary Spremulli,MA,CCC-SLP. Send correspondence to: info@voiceaerobicsdvd.com)

About the author: Mary Spremulli,MA,CCC-SLP, is a licensed speech-language pathologist and licensed nurse. A national lecturer, with publications on the topic of Patient Education and Ethics, and with a special interest in physician-patient communication.