Transcription:
Benefits of Rock Steady Boxing

Gabby Cinnamon (Host): Welcome back to Well Within Reach podcast brought to you by Riverside Healthcare. I'm your host, Gabby Cinnamon. And today Nicole Kilpatrick, a Certified Personal Trainer and Medical Fitness Coordinator at the Riverside Health Fitness Center is joining us to talk about Rock Steady Boxing. Thanks so much for coming on the podcast today, Nicole.

So you have an interesting background with Medical Fitness and Gerontology. Can you kind of talk about that in your background?

Nicole Kilpatrick (Guest): Yeah. So I studied at Ball State University. I majored in Exercise Science. And then I minored in Gerontology, which is the study of aging. I chose the Exercise Science route because I really enjoy being active myself. And I found it a way to help others be active and reach their health and fitness goals. I am a Certified Personal Trainer through ACSM. I'm also a Parkinson's Wellness Recovery Certified Instructor, and then a Rock Steady Boxing Head Coach. So I joined Riverside Health Fitness Center in the summer of 2019. And I've just really grown with the facility as well as with the Parkinson's programming there.

Host: Could you describe Parkinson's and kind of talk about what Parkinson's is?

Nicole: So I'm so excited that I'm on the podcast in April, because April is actually Parkinson's Awareness Month. So Parkinson's disease is a movement disorder where there is a lack of dopamine in the brain, which inhibits movements. Typical Parkinson's disease symptoms are going to be tremors, bradykinesia, which is slowness of movement, postural instability, rigidity, shuffling, and freezing of the gait.

Host: So today what we're talking about the Rock Steady Boxing and how that can help with Parkinson's. What is the Rock Steady Boxing program at the Fitness Center?

Nicole: Rock Steady Boxing is a high intensity non-contact boxing class designed for those with Parkinson's disease. And it's a way to combat all of the symptoms that I mentioned above, but in a very fun and supportive environment. I always joke around with my boxers that I chose this path because when I was younger, I wanted to be a teacher. Like I think everyone in middle school. And then I learned that you have to make lesson plans and then kids give you attitude. And then here I am today and I'm making lesson plans, and getting attitude from my boxers.

Host: I love it. I love it. So is there an ideal candidate or participant for Rock Steady Boxing?

Nicole: Nope. We don't have an ideal candidate. Everyone's going to have their own battle with Parkinson's disease. Even some movement disorders can find benefits in the classes as well. Every potential participant must complete an evaluation just to ensure their safety in the program. So a typical evaluation, we're going to go over their health history. So what are their Parkinson's symptoms? Do they have any limitations? And then we're also going to look at a balance assessment and a gait assessment, just so that we can judge their ability level, and make sure the class is safe. We do not turn away people based off of their ability level; but based off of their evaluation, we may suggest different level of classes so that we can ensure that they will be challenged in that class, but also safe.

Host: Do you have to be diagnosed with Parkinson's to attend a Rock Steady Boxing class?

Nicole: Well, the program is designed for those with a Parkinson's disease diagnosis. It can benefit specific movement disorders. That's why it's important to do the evaluation so that we can kind of see each participant's expectations for an exercise program and where they would need to be.

Host: That's awesome. So before we get into how Rock Steady Boxing can help those with Parkinson's disease, I want to take a quick break to talk about the Riverside Health Fitness Center. The Riverside Health Fitness Center is located at 100 Fitness Drive in Bourbonnais and is the area's only medically based fitness facility. Stop by for a tour or call 815-929-1200 for more information.

Now back to our conversation about Rock Steady Boxing with Nicole. You mentioned that you know, Rock Steady Boxing someone will be assessed for the class and like, then they can take the class and kind of manage their expectations and see how the class might help them. How does Rock Steady Boxing help with a movement disorder or Parkinson's disease?

Nicole: So, if we look at all of the symptoms I mentioned earlier, the rigidity, slowness of movement, posture instability, our goal in the class is to combat all of those symptoms. So there's a Cleveland Clinic, tandem bike study, and it shows that forced intensive exercise can help protect the brain and manage symptoms. And what they did in that study is they had two groups diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The first group was able to set their own exercise pace. Well, the second group had a pace set for them, so they were a little bit forced into an intenser exercise and the results showed that forced intensive exercise was a more effective therapy for Parkinson's disease symptoms.

So then we want to look into, well, what's an intense sport or intense mode of exercise. So ESPN did a study going over 60 sports to find the toughest sport and based off of things like endurance, strength, power, speed, agility, flexibility, and reactions; they were able to kind of determine what the most intense sport was and that's boxing.

And so we chose boxing for the route of exercise with Rock Steady Boxing. Plus I find it so much fun to kind of hit on the bags and you build so much confidence with boxing. So it's just a very fun class. It's good. That's what kind of, what we go for.

Host: So if someone has signed up for the class, what can they expect? Like, what does a typical class look like? You said it's high intensity, but is there anything else that someone should know? Like what the class will be?

Nicole: Yeah. So the class I'm going to kind of put this in here again. It's non-contact so we're not going to be putting people together. And no, no fight night. We're just working on the heavy bags and speed bags and other types of bags too, but every class is going to be different. And that's where the fun of it is. So they follow the same general layout. We always start off the class with a get to know you question, like what's your favorite ice cream.

And then that way too, boxers can kind of find out, especially if they're new, get to know new members. We'll go through a proper warmup. That's going to be determined by what our big portion of the workout is followed by that boxing circuits, where we work on different skills. We'll have core, which is great for that posture. And then we always end with stretching and we'll always bring it in for a cheesy cheer at the end.

Host: I would imagine that you know, these classes kind of help those with a Parkinson's diagnosis, you know, form a sense of community too, because you're around people who are going through the same thing and you're getting to know them. I'm sure. So what is the goal of Rock Steady Boxing programming? Is there anything, you know, what kind of expectations, I guess, do you set for those who are taking the programming or are there any results that they can expect to see?

Nicole: So, the obvious goal is that we want to maintain, or hopefully improve our movement and reduce our Parkinson's disease symptoms. One of my personal goals that I'd like to see is I want to build up their confidence with movement, because I think a lot of them, they get that fear of falling or fear of if I try to do this or this it's not going to be right. So we just want to build up that confidence with movement. I also see with a lot of them that there's a mental benefit as well.

So not just so much physical, but there's that great comradery amongst them. And they just offer support. And what I really enjoy about them too, is they focus on what they can do, not so much on what symptoms they have or this and that. It's what they can do.

Host: That's great. It sounds like it's a positive environment, which is really good. And I'm sure, you know, like you said, building the confidence is a great first step and, you know, keeping what you do have as far as movement and mobility goes. Are there any success stories you can share or like some of the positive feedback, because you guys have been doing this for a little bit now.

Nicole: So I've been with the program I think over two years now. So it's, I've been with them for a while and I feel like I can say a success story about every participant that comes through some of the big ones that just kind of happened recently, we had one gentleman who he went through physical therapy, had a baseline and then joined Rock Steady Boxing.

And I think the past week or two weeks, he went back to his physical therapist and rejudged their baselines. And he was so excited to come back to me and tell me that he had improvements with everything. We have another lady, she when she came in and we were discussing jump ropes, she was like, I'll never be able to jump rope. I can't jump rope. And just last week she did five jump ropes in a row. I have another young 88 year old. I have to watch her cause we built up her confidence too much I think she'll go and pick fights with people, but she does, she likes to show off and do the jumping jacks in front of people. Another thing is the other thing too, that we really work on is that new members they get worried about going down on the ground and doing exercises on the ground. But if you think about day to day life, we are standing, we're seated and there's potential that we're going to be on the ground. So we practice getting on the ground, exercises there and then getting back up. So seeing people, you know, the first week of classes where they tell me I can't get on the ground, I can't do that. And they see everyone else do it. So then they're like, well, I'll guess I'll try. And then there they do it. And they're like, I didn't think I could do it. So that's one of the fun things to see too.

Host: I'm sure too, that, you know, like the, on the ground stuff, that's also like safety, you know, I would imagine it would make them feel safer, you know, knowing like, oh, I can get up. And I can, if something were to happen where I get on the ground, you know, I'm on the ground. I can get up.

Nicole: Yeah. Not to make people listening nervous, but one of the things that we practice too is falling safely. So the more, and we're not from the feet or anything, we'll practice on the ground, but just kind of how to make sure that we're protecting our head or neck, how to kind of try to land on the meatier parts of our body. Just because that's going to be safer because I tell people falling is going to be inevitable. And that's a bummer, but it's good to kind of get that practice in so that we don't have a potential injury where it's just, I always yell at them, tuck, duck, and roll.

Host: Yeah minimize, you know, injury as much as you can. That's awesome. What other programs does the fitness center offer?

Nicole: So for Parkinson's disease and other specific movement disorders we also have PWR! Or Parkinson's wellness recovery, and then they focus on really big movements and then again practicing exercises where we're going to find ourself in day to day.

So standing, seated, on the ground we also have different activity days as well, so just to keep our schedule interesting. And so that I don't get bored. We have dancing, circuit class, cardio days. They complain about the cardio days, but they keep showing up. And then also game days, which is my favorite because I get to really see their competitive sides get out. I also encourage my class participants to kind of try out different group exercise classes that the fitness center has to offer like the yoga, aquatics and cycling where it's not so geared towards them more so the general population, but you never know what class or instructor is going to motivate you to move and with Parkinson's disease and movement disorder, the big thing is moving.

Host: Yeah. And most of those classes too, I mean, I know I've taken cycling classes before. You can customize it to your ability, you know, even though your instructor may be, you know, telling you to go this fast or like put this much resistance on there's a lot of customization and ultimately is your ride. So you can kind of pick what you want to do.

Nicole: I always tell people. Get there early talk, to the instructor and tell them, hey, this, and this is going on. This is my first time. And the instructor will then kind of give you pinpoints or modifications for you as well.

Host: For them to know that that's an option is great. I'm sure. You know, they don't have to just go to Rock Steady or Power Moves. They can try out different classes. That's really good. So how does someone who's interested sign up to participate in Rock Steady Boxing, PWR! Moves, any of the classes that you've mentioned? Do they have to be a fitness center member?

Nicole: So you don't have to be a member. All potential participants, though again, are going to have to go through that evaluation just to make sure that we can go over their best options with what classes and the best way to sign up. Cause we, you don't have to have a membership, but a membership is an option too. So just to go over all of those things. We do have a interest form on the Riverside Health Fitness Center website, or you can call Riverside Health Fitness Center at 815-929-1200.

Host: So thank you so much for coming on the podcast today, Nicole, this has been very informative and will help a lot of people.

Nicole: Thanks for having me Gabby. I appreciate it.

Host: And thank you listeners for tuning into Well Within Reach brought to you by Riverside Healthcare. Make sure to leave a review on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to our podcast.