TULSA, Okla. — April is Parkinson’s awareness month. According to parkinson.org, nearly one million people in the U.S. are living with the disease, and that number is expected to rise.
2 News Oklahoma spoke to two men who say working out keeps their Parkinson’s symptoms at bay. At Rock Steady Boxing, the boxers focus on things like balance, strength training, and fine motor skills.
One participant, Don Paight, has lived in Tulsa for four years.
He says it was around that time he was diagnosed with Parkinson's. Parkinson’s is a neurological disease.
"It affects your speech; it affects your walking, your tremors,” says Paight.
After his diagnosis, Paight began working out and boxing to try and control his symptoms. Kristen Phelps owns rock steady boxing, where Paight works out.
"The Parkinson’s community in general, there's not a lot of specific exercise for them, and when exercise therapy is really the only thing that's been shown time and time again to stop the progression, I just feel like its super important offering," says Phelps.
Paight says the program has impacted his life and health in positive ways.
"For four years, I'm feeling pretty steady. It hasn't progressed the original way I thought it might.”
Some of the other activities that these boxers work on here at the gym that are not working out are things like opening and closing pill bottles and zipping and unzipping zippers. Those are things they do at home and at the gym to work on those fine motor skills.
For those interested in learning more, you can call 918-516-8482.
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