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MEMBERS TELL US WHAT THEY LOVE MOST ABOUT THESE READERS’ FAVORITE SPORTS CLUBS BY SINCLAIR HOLIAN
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON
CHATHAM MAGAZINE
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023
Robert Popchak began boxing to help counteract the effects of Parkinson’s Disease.
Duke Center for Living at Fearrington
Complete with state-of-the-art equipment, a cushioned indoor track and a heated pool and hot tub, this fitness center can accommodate any health goal. Work with a personal trainer, sweat it out in the vast range of weekly group classes, exercise solo or unwind with a soothing massage therapy session. Although Robert Popchak has been a member for less than a year, he’s already found himself at home in the gym community. “It’s like a family atmosphere at a professional level,” he says. After joining, Robert, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, suggested the staff start a “Punching Parkinson’s” boxing program. When the request was echoed by his peers, staff exercise physiologist Nicole Neuwirth began teaching the biweekly class. Each 45-minute session includes mobility and balance exercises, light and medium weightlifting, and heavy punching bag and speed bag work to develop coordination, strength training and