The Art of Boxing is Good for your Soul - and Your Parkinson’s

For one and all: the group huddle!
Focus Mitts in action.
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Diane Lilli
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This is a place where you go to box, if you have Parkinson's Disease. Boxing is a physical sport that is not for the meek or mild mannered. Boxing is hard work - and hard exercise. Here in this Garwood-located establishment, boxing is approached as a true sport, filled with heart-thumping cardio moves and acts of balance. So how does this work with patients suffering from different levels of physical symptoms?

It takes a strong person to face his own mortality. Safe to say we will all get to our own demise one day, but the shock of being diagnosed with a serious illness is truly a sucker punch to your gut. After all, though we all know everyone dies, it’s not completely real until we are faced with a serious illness. Parkinson’s, a progressive disorder that effects mobility and part of your brain, is a startling wake-up call.

After the shock of your diagnosis wears off a bit, it’s time to figure out how to live in your “new normal”. When you are diagnosed with a disease such as Parkinson’s, you should learn everything you can about your illness but also be open minded as to what you can do to feel more empowered - and balanced - in your life. Having any kind of illness is overwhelming, from the uncertainty of your future to the minutia of your symptoms. Depression can overshadow the most daunting of symptoms, so it’s wise to look for ways to drag yourself out of the gloom and doom and try to discover new ways to feel good again.

When I first learned about the incredible Rock Steady Boxing Central Jersey, run by the indomitable Dayel Giammarino, I was floored. This is a place where you go to box, if you have Parkinson’s Disease. Boxing is a physical sport that is not for the meek or mild mannered. Boxing is hard work - and hard exercise. Here in this Garwood-located establishment, boxing is approached as a true sport, filled with heart-thumping cardio moves and acts of balance. So how does this work with patients suffering from different levels of physical symptoms?

As Giammarino explains, having Parkinson’s is only the beginning of your journey. How you approach your day-to-day travels with this condition as part of your life is quite another matter. The boxers working out at this spot prove every day that though a disease will change your abilities, it doesn’t mean you can’t learn challenging new ones. Mirroring this approach, Giammarino manages the notion of teaching boxing to people with Parkinson’s while also taking her own leap of faith, wielding a solid dose of grit.

“My background is in physical therapy, and working with people with Parkinson's was once frustrating,” said Giammarino. “I used to feel I couldn’t do anything to help them for their future. Then I read about this non-profit (Rock Steady Boxing) and decided to become an affiliate.”

Candidates for the class need to be assessed in a 45 minute session, and be assigned to a level of PD 1 or PD 2. There are more advanced levels as well. Newly diagnosed people come in, and after starting the program, continually impress this dedicated trainer.

“Our newly diagnosed are doing very well,” she said. “I see improvements immediately - within a week we see first a leap in their confidence level. We see one person jumprope at assessment and then see everyone else doing it. We see core strengthening within a month, and with stronger abdominals our boxers can do much more sit ups and push ups.”

Another major improvement after taking boxing lessons is with balance, a constant worry for anyone with Parkinson’s. Falling is one of the most dangerous accidents for anyone, including Parkinson’s sufferers.

“We train for balance, by our work on the floor, and we do “focus mitts” with me going side to side, taking bigger steps,” she added. “We also work on standing on one leg.”

Other positive effects include a definite easing of depression, enhanced by the fact that there is a social component at play here. When you are handed a diagnosis you may want to hide in your house so nobody can see you. Boxing brings you out to the community and shows you first hand that you are not alone. Giammarino said she sees how being in the gym, which is a safe place, builds confidence and also creates strong bonds of friendship.

“Working with our non-contact boxing with heavy bags and with speed bags, which are small little bags on the platform, is great for focus,” she added. “We do focus mitts one on one, with pads on my hands. The boxers work like they are boxing from their hands and there are no blows to body. And, since it is a giant floor, everyone gets a great cardio workout.”


To learn more visit:
www.rocksteadyboxing.org/affiliates/rocksteadyboxingcentraljersey

Rock Steady Boxing is located at 340 North Avenue in Garwood NJ
Phone:908-922-7280

Hours: Open Monday - Friday , with13 classes that are scattered during the morning, afternoon and some evenings.

Prices range between $7-$15 a class.

About Parkinsons - from Mayo Clinic

Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. It develops gradually, sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. But while a tremor may be the most well-known sign of Parkinson's disease, the disorder also commonly causes stiffness or slowing of movement.

In the early stages of Parkinson's disease, your face may show little or no expression, or your arms may not swing when you walk. Your speech may become soft or slurred. Parkinson's disease symptoms worsen as your condition progresses over time.

Although Parkinson's disease can't be cured, medications may markedly improve your symptoms. In occasional cases, your doctor may suggest surgery to regulate certain regions of your brain and improve your symptoms.