Article first appeared in the Morrison County Record.
By Sheila Bergren
Dec 26, 2022
Earlier this year, the St. Francis Health and Wellness Center in Little Falls added another class to their schedule — Boxing Out Parkinson’s. Fitness Instructor Lauren Brady said the idea started with one of the members asking if the Health and Wellness Center would ever consider offering one. The member, she said, was already attending a class in Brainerd, but quickly recognized the benefits of it for those in the community.
“We looked into it to figure out how to start doing it,” said Amber Sobiech, manager.
According to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a progressive disorder that affects the nervous system and the parts of the body that are controlled by the nerves. While early symptoms, such as a barely noticeable tremor in one hand, start out slowly, it can eventually affect a person’s entire body, Brady said.
Other symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease include slowed movement, muscle stiffness in any part of the body, impaired posture and balance, loss of automatic movements, such as swinging the arms when walking, speech changes and writing changes, according to the Mayo Clinic.
In addition, those affected by Parkinson’s Disease may begin to take shorter steps when they’re walking or may be dragging their feet.
Brady said the people who attend the Boxing Out Parkinson’s class at the Center perform the different exercises at their level and to the best of their ability. The goal is to simply get moving as various types of exercise and movement can help improve their balance, endurance, strength, flexibility, mobility and walking ability.
According to the Parkinson’s Disease Association, “studies also reveal that exercise can help improve cognition, depression, fatigue and sleep.”
The class at St. Francis Health and Wellness Center is held on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 11:15 a.m. to noon. People can join anytime, Sobiech said.
At this time, there are two groups with six people in each. More groups will be added if the class keeps growing. They will not turn anyone away simply because a group is full, Sobiech and Brady said.
During the class, different stations have been set up with a variety of experiences. While one group is, for instance, boxing on the punching bags for 45 seconds, the other group is involved in another physical exercise, such as wall pushups. Each exercise lasts for 45 seconds.
“It’s just whatever exercise we do. Sometimes we’ll do deadlifts and bicep curls, core workout, squats,” Brady said.
Each class begins with a dynamic warmup routine and varies from time to time. Some warmup exercises, Brady said, include rainbow squats, stretching the trunk to both sides and more. At the end of the class, they also have a cool down period, she said.
When Sobiech and Brady first began looking at starting the class, they didn’t have any punching bags. However, because of a generous donation from Wabash in Little Falls, they were able to purchase three punching bags. As the center receives more donations for the class, Brady said more equipment can be added.
Prior to joining the class, participants are asked to make sure their doctors are OK with them attending the class. The Center has a release form which specifies what type of exercises will be done in the class. It helps the doctor know more about what their patient will potentially be doing and can help in determining whether the class would be beneficial to the patient. It also helps in determining whether the patient has any limitations and as a result, shouldn’t participate in a specific exercise, Brady said.
Participants bring their own workout attire and boxing gloves.
“We do ask people in the class to bring their own gloves, so then, they’re fit for them,” Sobiech said.
Since it’s more difficult to clean the inside of gloves, Sobiech said it makes it better for people from a hygienic standpoint to bring their own.
The cost of the class depends on whether the person is a member or not at the St. Francis Health and Wellness Center. For members, it is $60 for three months and for non-members, $100 for three months.
Sobiech said they’re hoping to eventually offer people scholarships to attend if the class cost is a hardship for them. It all comes down to donations they receive for that.
Those who want to donate, can make checks out to St. Francis Health and Wellness Center and to write “Boxing Out PD” in the memo. They also ask people to specify what they want their donation to be used for — either to purchase “equipment” or to sponsor an individual through a “scholarship.”
Donations can be mailed to St. Francis Health and Wellness Center, Attn: Amber Sobiech, 116 Eighth Ave. SE, Little Falls, MN 56345.
Looking back, Sobiech and Brady said that since they started the class, they have learned a lot more about Parkinson’s Disease. Not only from what they have read, but also from what the participants have shared about where they are in their journey.
One symptom several share is getting “stuck” from time to time. It’s like a part of their body just “freezes” temporarily.
“They get stuck, like they can’t move their feet. It can affect different parts of the body, but mainly their feet. They’re just stuck in a place or if they’re sitting, they’ll be stuck sitting,” Brady said.
To help participants who get stuck during an exercise, Brady has a five-step method listed on the door to help them get through that freeze. The five-step method includes stop, stand, sit tall, shake it out and shift your weight.
“They just start trying to walk or rock and then they push through it and try to start moving,” Brady said.
For more information or to join Boxing out Parkinson’s, call (320) 632-0627.
