I have been heartbroken time and time again watching my mum struggle with Alzheimer's disease over the last three years. She has gone from being an intelligent adult to a confused child, she can't remember where things are in a house she has lived in for 55 years; the bathroom, the kettle, the fridge. She has forgotten how to do day to day basic survival chores such as cooking, making a cup of tea, go to the toilet, brush her teeth.
She has forgotten who people are she has known for years. She is frightened by the television, she's paranoid nobody likes her, she hides everything and doesn't want to leave the house. And it will only get worse, everytime I visit I see a further decline. THERE IS NO CURE!
My dad is alive but is deaf, disabled and now struggling with his memory, my auntie died last year from Alzheimer's and my other auntie is also in later stages of this devastating disease, so doing something to help with research is very close to my heart.
I owe my mum and dad everything as they adopted me when I was a baby because I wasn't wanted by my natural parents, they gave me a great upbringing and I didn't want for anything. They are beautiful people and do not deserve to be suffering like this so its extra painful for me to see them struggling. I feel helpless!
So, what else can I do to help other than look after her house, bills, food, visit regularly, make sure they are as safe as possible and pay for carers to visit several times a day to help with everyday chores? I KNOW..... Lets climb the 4th largest mountain in the World, I am not a climber and all my boxing training and conditioning training was/is intense and short, so it's a big thing for me to change to endurance training but I want to help raise money for research and for an amazing charity that supports carers and sufferers: Alzheimer's Society
I am starting my training now as I need to build up the ability to trek/climb for 7 days, 7 - 13 hours per day.... Don't leave training until the last minute.
Training log:
I'm starting training by walking to work (1 hour) twice a week, stair master twice per week for 45 minutes; building up to 2 hours eventually, I'm loving playing catch up on Criminal Minds (I always find a silver lining ha ha) as you have to step slow and steady, so its the only way to stop me going stir crazy. My strength training is with heavy weights and low reps (x6) as building a core of strength is important at the beginning of training for any sport or event. I am keeping an element of intense cardio through sprints once per week, so I can keep my lactate threshold at maximum to give my lungs and heart a huge push over their comfort zone. Don't just rely on endurance training for an entrance event, you need to keep an element of short intense cardiovascular preperation. Third Space gym has an altitude chamber (which is currently being upgraded) so I am going to do 'rack it up' Sunday, where I get the gym to push the hypoxic air up to the maximum and I will start walking for a few hours at an incline every week, starting in the next few months. I am also climbing Ben Nevis, Scarfed Pike and Snowdon over the next few months...... who's got time for a life anyway!
THIS IS FOR YOU MUM!
She has forgotten who people are she has known for years. She is frightened by the television, she's paranoid nobody likes her, she hides everything and doesn't want to leave the house. And it will only get worse, everytime I visit I see a further decline. THERE IS NO CURE!
My dad is alive but is deaf, disabled and now struggling with his memory, my auntie died last year from Alzheimer's and my other auntie is also in later stages of this devastating disease, so doing something to help with research is very close to my heart.
I owe my mum and dad everything as they adopted me when I was a baby because I wasn't wanted by my natural parents, they gave me a great upbringing and I didn't want for anything. They are beautiful people and do not deserve to be suffering like this so its extra painful for me to see them struggling. I feel helpless!
So, what else can I do to help other than look after her house, bills, food, visit regularly, make sure they are as safe as possible and pay for carers to visit several times a day to help with everyday chores? I KNOW..... Lets climb the 4th largest mountain in the World, I am not a climber and all my boxing training and conditioning training was/is intense and short, so it's a big thing for me to change to endurance training but I want to help raise money for research and for an amazing charity that supports carers and sufferers: Alzheimer's Society
I am starting my training now as I need to build up the ability to trek/climb for 7 days, 7 - 13 hours per day.... Don't leave training until the last minute.
Training log:
I'm starting training by walking to work (1 hour) twice a week, stair master twice per week for 45 minutes; building up to 2 hours eventually, I'm loving playing catch up on Criminal Minds (I always find a silver lining ha ha) as you have to step slow and steady, so its the only way to stop me going stir crazy. My strength training is with heavy weights and low reps (x6) as building a core of strength is important at the beginning of training for any sport or event. I am keeping an element of intense cardio through sprints once per week, so I can keep my lactate threshold at maximum to give my lungs and heart a huge push over their comfort zone. Don't just rely on endurance training for an entrance event, you need to keep an element of short intense cardiovascular preperation. Third Space gym has an altitude chamber (which is currently being upgraded) so I am going to do 'rack it up' Sunday, where I get the gym to push the hypoxic air up to the maximum and I will start walking for a few hours at an incline every week, starting in the next few months. I am also climbing Ben Nevis, Scarfed Pike and Snowdon over the next few months...... who's got time for a life anyway!
THIS IS FOR YOU MUM!