iStock May 14, 2021 A new Parkinson’s disease diagnosis and the onset of its hallmark symptoms—tremor, slow movement, stiffness, loss of balance—can be really discouraging. There’s no cure for the progressive neurodegenerative disease, but medications that boost dopamine in the brain can help to minimize symptoms. What’s more, you hold the key to slowing down symptom progression and maintaining your quality of life. How? Exercise—both physical and mental. Let’s dive into how working both the body and brain can help you stay sharp with Parkinson’s. iStock How Movement Helps Your Mind Exercise is important for maintaining strength, range-of-motion (ROM), and balance—all things that decline as Parkinson’s progresses. “If you don’t use it, you lose it,” says Julie Safer, L.C.S.W. at the Mount Sinai Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center in New York City. Exercise has been shown the slow down the progression of Parkinson’s symptoms, says La’Tai Jenkins, a physical therapist at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Lutherville, Maryland. Exercise not only strengthens and stretches your muscles, but also creates neurological connections between your brain and body, and it may promote more efficient dopamine use.