“I've been on a journey with Parkinson's for a long time,” explains Jim. His journey with Rock Steady Boxing however has only recently gotten started. This is a continuation of the Rock Steady Boxing blog series featuring The Lakes at Stillwater in Stillwater, MN.
Parkinson's is a progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement. It develops gradually, often starting with a slight tremor in one hand, stiffness, or slowing of movement. As the disease progresses, individuals may experience difficulties with balance, coordination, and walking. Parkinson's is caused by the gradual loss of dopamine-producing cells in the brain, leading to a decrease in dopamine levels, which affects movement control and coordination.
Medical experts who work with people diagnosed with Parkinson’s almost universally recommend regular exercise as one of the most important ways of slowing down the disease.
Giving Rock Steady Boxing a Try
Enter Rock Steady Boxing: a non-contact, boxing-style exercise program specifically designed to enhance the lives of those with Parkinson's. This unique program combines overall fitness, strength training, reaction drills, and balance exercises to combat the progression of the disease. More importantly, Rock Steady Boxing fosters a supportive community where individuals can connect with others facing similar challenges
When the idea of participating in Rock Steady Boxing was brought up to Jim he thought, “I'm almost 80 years old, and you want me to take boxing lessons?!”
His two persistent daughters and spouse would not take that as an answer, so Jim said he’d “give it a try.”
Jim recalls a memory from when he first started attending Rock Steady Boxing at The Lakes at Stillwater, an affiliate program of Rock Steady Boxing, Inc. “It was my third session for boxing here. I’m boxing a pattern on these big bags, you know, one, two, three, seven [demonstrating boxing motions].”
“All of a sudden I hear Coach Beth behind me. ‘Jim, this isn’t called a tapping bag. This is called a punching bag. I want you to hit it!’ And I thought, I'm in the right place. That's exactly what I needed.”
The Gift of Rock Steady Boxing
The rest, so it goes, is history. Jim has now been participating in Rock Steady Boxing classes at The Lakes at Stillwater, for the past three years and is “grateful for every opportunity I have to get together with these folks.”
He continues, “Part of the gift of the program that we didn't expect is it helps us realize we're not alone on this journey. That there are other people who are experiencing the same kind of thing.”
This sense of community and camaraderie has a powerful impact on all the Rock Steady Boxing participants. The program has given Jim the ability to “control my approach to Parkinson's”, an invaluable mindset over an uncontrollable disease.
