"I lost 37 pounds in three months, and have greatly improved the motion in my arms and legs," Grabb said, who is extending his visit to Indianapolis—permanently. He’s moving to stay close to the gym and the friends he’s made there.
The Rock Steady Boxing Gym offers rigorous, non-competitive boxing lessons to people with Parkinson's disease for free at its gym.
“We operate these classes as if the people participating are training for a real fight," said Kristina Rose Follmar, executive director of the Rock Steady Boxing Foundation. "It takes an incredible amount of strength, coordination, and desire to get through these workouts. This extreme level of intensity is what combats the Parkinson’s.”
Classes take participants through a workout that includes punching bags, speed bags, medicine balls, jump ropes, weights, running, and calisthenics.
"I have never participated in a program as rigorous as what Rock Steady provides for people with Parkinson's," said Don Schaefer. "At 65 years of age I am in the best shape I have ever been in my life!"
Growing clinical evidence and the personal stories of PD patients like Schaefer and Grabb support the benefits of exercise and how it can significantly improve a patient’s quality of life.
"Rock Steady is the hardest thing I have ever done," said Linda Hinkle, a regular at the gym. "I now feel better, move better, and have reduced the amount of PD meds I take. Most of all I have a wonderful support group."
People with Parkinson's disease don’t have to live in greater Indianapolis to benefit from exercise. They can start with their doctor right where they live.
Physicians refer patients to a physical therapist who creates a personalized exercise program. Then the patients can decide if they would prefer to fight Parkinson's in a gym, at home, in a park, or any other place they favor.
If you would like to exercise at home consider products such as the Theracycle or Be Fit Over Fifty. They have benefitted many people with Parkinson's disease.
