Rock Steady Boxing helps fight back Parkinson’s

without a fight,” Judi Meincke said.

Rock Steady Boxing originally began through two friends, Scott Newman and Vince Perez, after Newman had been diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s at the age of 40. Refusing to let Newman go down without a good fight, Perez turned to his experience and knowledge as a Golden Gloves boxer to design a health program that fights back Parkinson’s at its most vulnerable spots. As more medical research was concluded, researchers found out Perez’s intuitive insight had merit.

Various medical research in the 1980’s and 1990’s show rigorous exercise, emphasizing gross motor movement, balance, core strength and rhythm could favorably impact range of motion, flexibility, posture, gait and daily living activities.

“I have taken control of this disease. It is not controlling me,” said Hank Meincke, a Rock Steady boxer. Meincke is early in his diagnosis, being diagnosed just a week before signing up for his first class. His wife, Judi, a nurse, pushed him to sign up after hearing about the program. “I’m not letting him go down

In recent studies conducted by Cleveland Clinic, researchers focused on the concept of intense exercise, and have begun to determine certain kinds of exercise may be neuro-protective, actually slowing Parkinson’s disease progression. Researchers from University of Indianapolis and Butler University have reported and documented improved quality of life among some boxers.

Rock Steady Boxing is a nonprofit organization, dedicated to giving people with Parkinson’s disease hope by improving their quality of life through their no-contact boxing based fitness classes. Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative movement disorder which causes the deterioration of motor skills, balance, speech and sensory functions. According to The Parkinson’s Foundation, there are more than one million people in the United States diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Rock Steady Boxing is the first gym in the country that is dedicated to the fight against Parkinson’s disease. The program conditions boxers for optimal agility, speed, muscular endurance, accuracy, hand-eye coordination, footwork and over-