He makes cycling with Parkinson’s work for him
Jeremiah Marek
Palm Beach County, Florida
Time of diagnosis: January 2025, but testing started August 2024 when I started noticing symptoms while cycling.
Exercises of choice: Cycling, weight training, boxing, mobility, yoga, and I do a lot of sauna and cold plunge for the brain and recovery.
Favorite outdoor exercise: Cycling, but it used to be backpacking.
Favorite place to hike: Yosemite National Park
Toughest hike: Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon. Why? Straight up for hours and hot in July.
Most proud of related to outdoors: The ability to commit to training and see results. Pushing myself through some tough rides and events.
Outdoor or exercise gear that is a must: Bike, for sure.
Advice for someone recently diagnosed who wants to stay active: Some days are great and you can push yourself, and some days you have to be gentle with yourself and a brisk walk is maybe all you got.
Advice for someone with PD who is just starting to exercise: Start with basic movements. It could even be something like Qigong movement and breathing.
Biggest challenge with Parkinson’s right now: Dealing with loss of power in my left leg, stiffness, and bradykinesia.
How I try to stay positive: All forms of exercise, mental health therapy, sauna, and cold plunge really help change my brain by boosting neurotransmitters.
Advocacy work for PD: I haven’t yet, but I have been in discussions with creating a Parkinson’s cycling and wellness event in our community.
Other interests/hobbies: Traveling with my family, health and wellness research, seeing live music, playing guitar.
Career field: I have not retired. Ironically (related to PD), I am an environmental consultant/project manager cleaning up contaminated soil and groundwater water.
Jeremiah’s most important piece of exercise equipment is his “bike, for sure.”
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If you have Parkinson’s and the outdoors and exercise are part of your life, you could be featured in Unshakable Voices, too. Email unshakablehiker@gmail.com.