Karl Gerhard Roth
I have been going to the Boxing-4-Health classes for about one year and have had Parkinson disease (PD) symptoms for about 18 months. These classes have had a significant and positive impact on me, and I plan to attend them for the rest of my life. Why is that the case? We know that exercise improves many symptoms of PD. People with PD who exercise regularly report that they move and feel better and have more energy. However, clinical trials have also shown that regular and intense exercise slows down the worsening of PD symptoms. It is worth noting that the drugs prescribed for PD also improve symptoms, but no drug has shown the ability to slow down the worsening of PD symptoms as effectively as intense exercise. These classes cover many different types of exercises; strength, balance and aerobics. Every class ends with a boxing session where we all hit punching bags as hard as we can. Boxing is most certainly an intense and aerobic exercise. You might say that it sounds very difficult to exercise at such a level regularly? If you tried to do this on your own that would be true, but in a class and group setting working hard is much easier. Each person gets the attention that they need from the instructors, who are all competent, caring and positive. There is also a team spirit in the activities, and being in a class with other PD patients is very motivating. In one of the Boxing-4-Health videos the slogan on the wall is “No matter where you start, where you end up is up to you”. I encourage anyone considering Boxing-4-Health to try the classes. You will be happy that you did. Gerhard Roth
