Although I’m down on professional sports which lead to head injuries that later lead to Parkinson’s disease (e.g., boxing and football), I’m up on Rock Steady, a boxing program for people with Parkinson’s.
A friend recently sent me a link to this CBS video on Rock Steady. It’s quite powerful. Click here! (Or cross your fingers and hope the video plays below! It may not show in some regions.)
The program looks great! And it deals with so many issues that Parkies face: balance, coordination, soft voice, flexibility, confidence….
The latter part of the video includes an interview with a researcher who studied Rock Steady Parkies for two years. Some of the outcomes (paraphrased from the video):
- The disease did not progress over the two-year period.
- In some cases, people were better off at the end of the two years than they were at the beginning.
- Participants showed a vastly improved quality of life.
- It also appears that high intensity workouts such as Rock Steady are neuroprotective, meaning that the brain is improving along with everything below the neck.
Rock on, Rock Steady!
Here’s a link to Rock Steady’s homepage.
And click here to find a Rock Steady program near your zip code!
Wow!! Such an impressive video. The closest class to me is about 3 hr away, but I’m going to ask if the rehab center that has PWR classes will consider investigating the possibility of adding this program.
Thanks, as always!