Your Goal Guide author Debra Eckerling recently had an article published in Women’s World Magazine on table tennis player Margie Alley, read the article here.
A fun game improved Margie’s agility, stability and strength
Weak muscles, difficulty moving and painful stiffness left Margie Alley struggling physically and emotionally…until she found a fun, easy game that helped her regain control of her body and lifted her spirits
Margie Alley walked out of her physical therapist’s office in Westchester, New York, feeling physically and mentally exhausted. Since being diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease in 2012, the symptoms had taken a toll on the 55-year-old’s body and spirit.
Margie had always been active and athletic. She was a dedicated runner and played tennis in college. However, in the years leading up to her diagnosis, Margie suddenly kept injuring herself. The slightest movements would cause her to tear cartilage, leading to orthopedic injuries and surgeries.
What’s going on with me? she worried. This has to stop!
When her doctor put a name to her symptoms and she started on medication, Margie hoped things would improve. But she continued to have issues with stiffness, foot cramps and
strength. Margie felt slow and emotionally low. Following her doctor’s advice, she started physical therapy. “With Parkinson’s, if you stop moving, you will stop moving completely,” he’d explained. But while Margie had always enjoyed exercise, physical therapy felt more like a job. The exhilaration she’d always felt when being active was gone. Then, one day in the spring of 2018, as she left physical therapy, Margie glanced up and saw a sign for the Westchester Table Tennis Club, located just upstairs from her physical therapist’s office. How have I not noticed that before? she wondered. Margie had always loved Ping-pong. Growing up, she often played at home with her father. As an adult, whenever she found a willing opponent, she’d play for hours on end. So Margie knew Ping-pong
“Ping-pong sharpens reflexes and stimulates your brain to improve balance” — Ken Inoue, M.D.
required quick thinking and fast movement. Ping-pong would be way more fun than just doing physical therapy, she thought and headed upstairs.
A fun solution
The moment she picked up a paddle, Margie felt a rush of adrenaline. As the ball rushed toward her, Margie responded reflexively, and her body would instinctively cooperate.
Margie began playing PingPong a couple of times a week and quickly felt her body growing stronger and steadier. Her reflexes and agility improved, as well as her fine and gross motor skills. Keeping score even helped keep her mind sharp.
As time went on, Margie just felt better and better, physically and emotionally. As with all exercise, while playing Ping-pong, her body released dopamine, a feel-good chemical, boosting her happiness.
As Margie began to literally regain her footing, her self-esteem and confidence grew—and soared when, in October 2019, she won the first ever International Table Tennis Federation Parkinson’s Table Tennis World Championship.
Today, while she does a variety of exercises to manage her Parkinson’s, Ping-pong is what she does most often and best. “Ping-pong not only helps keep me in control of my body, it has given me a community of support,” Margie beams. “And it’s so fun!”
your goal guide
A Roadmap for Setting, Planning and Achieving Your Goals
Start with a plan. One of the biggest reasons goals fail is that we often don’t put enough thought into what we really want before diving in. Your Goal Guide by Debra Eckerling starts with that first, crucial step: figuring out your goals and putting a plan in place. As a professional writer, communications specialist, and project catalyst with more than 20 years of experience, Eckerling is prepared to help you achieve success.