Evaluating the Influence of Externally vs. Internally Focused Exercise on Rehabilitation in Parkinson's Disease

The first half of the exercise class will include walking exercises that include large magnitude and coordinated movements. All walking will be performed slowly. Walking exercises will be followed by balance, stretching, and coordination exercises while sitting in, or standing near, standard office chairs, utilizing latex Thera-bands®. To ensure that balance and coordination are constantly challenged throughout the intervention, the exercise program progresses each week, increasing in difficulty. Depending on the task, the first set of each exercise will be performed with 'eyes-open' to familiarize participants with the task, and subsequent sets will be performed with 'eyes-closed'. If there is only one set for a specific exercise, the first half of the repetitions will be performed with 'eyes-open' and the second half with 'eyes-closed'.