We have been told that we should exercise to fitness in order to delay the onset of symptoms of Huntington's Disease. While this is good advice, "fitness" is a very personal condition. I remember when my daughters were participating in high school and college sports, "fitness" described a very highly developed combination of strength, endurance, agility, and power that took months of conditioning to develop. I never had the opportunity to take part in girls' sports while in school, so I really never experienced that sort of fitness.
While I was in college, though, I started the practice of taking very long walks (several miles), often including my trek to various jobs around town. For the most part, I have continued this practice ever since, sometimes adding long bicycle rides as part of my routine. For me, this custom has given a very good aerobic workout throughout the years. Nine years ago, when I tested positive for Huntington's Disease, I really started to make exercise a priority. I know some friends and family members wondered why it was so important to me, but I believe that it has accomplished the goal of postponing the development of signs of HD. In the winter, I go to the gym, and spend as much time as I can, usually about an hour, on the arc trainer, treadmill, and recumbent bike. Last year, I started to add weight training, using the machines at the gym. My workout is mostly aerobic, though.
This past summer, I started to take much longer walks, from two to three hours, and I started taking large doses of ibuprofen and arthritis strength Tylenol, to keep my joints from causing pain. When I went for my medical check-up, I had high blood pressure (for the first time in my life). Since then, I have almost totally cut out painkillers, and my blood pressure has gone down.
The long walks and other exercise give me a great appetite! Maintaining a slim frame has never been my priority. Some feel that having a slightly higher body weight might postpone symptoms. Taking creatine does help your body maintain water in the muscles, making weight loss more difficult.