6 | www.WellnessCenterMagazine.com Longtime Charleston residents Brian and Lyn Swan will never forget the day Brian pushed away his skepticism and walked through the doors at the MUSC Wellness Center to check out the Rock Steady Boxing Program. Steady was far from how Brian was feeling as he and Lyn shifted their lives to accommodate his Parkinson’s diagnosis one month before. Like so many first-time attendees, Brian’s first thoughts were “Boxing? No way – I have Parkinson’s; how am I supposed to box?” “Many of the boxers are apprehensive about the program initially. Others are still coming to terms with their diagnosis,” said Cindi Day, a certified personal trainer and lead RSB coach. “Then they observe a class. They feel a sense of community, and they notice how everything is tailored to every level of Parkinson’s – from the asymptomatic class members to participants who are in wheelchairs.” “Once people take their first class, I know that we will know each other for years,” Day added. “I have known most of the participants for five to seven years now.” Day doesn’t just casually know class members. She knows their birthdays, their vacation schedules – even their haircut dates. Many participants have nicknames like “Rockstar Rick,” “Special K,” and “Tricky.” RSB is an international nonprofit that launched in 2006. Since 2017, the program has unfolded at the Wellness Center. Day has served as head coach for five years “Studies suggest that intense, forced exercise may be neuroprotective and even slow down disease progression,” Day said. “The class itself improves core strength, range of motion, functional movements and posture.” BOXING PROGRAM STEADIES PARKINSON’S PATIENTS By Lisa Moody Breslin
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