On an early morning in June, at the Corner Boxing Club in Boulder, Colorado, assistant head coach Henry Motley leads a group through a series of warmups. This isn't your typical boxing class. It's Rusty Gloves, a program that meets three times a week for older adults.
"We're just warming everybody up, going through a bit of dynamic exercises, little dynamic warmups, just to wake the whole body up, get them ready for the boxing that they're about to do," explained Motley.
Most of the people in the class are living with Parkinson's disease. One of them, Colleen Broleen, has been coming to Rusty Gloves for about a year.
"I don't have a handshake at all, you know, I don't have a tremor, but my feet just don't want to move," she said. "But, you know, this is helpful 'cause it makes me move my feet."
Broleen, who usually uses a walker, said the boxing class is helping with other symptoms of Parkinson's too, balance and posture.
"I walk better… I stand up straighter, it's good to stand up straight."
Volunteers pair up with participants like Broleen who need a little extra support, but the expectation is the same for everyone, said Carrie Barry, the executive director and head coach at The Corner Boxing Club.
"I really don't coach them any differently than my other athletes," she said.
Rusty Gloves is one of the biggest programs at the club. And Barry says the benefits extend well beyond the workout, as it plays an important role in building community for the participants.
"It's our purpose here in life, to create connection and bring people together," she said. "I think that we need more of that, of course. I think we're all seeing that right now, is bringing people together, and I think that's the biggest benefit of this."
After warming up, participants rotate through a series of stations, each one focusing on balance, coordination, endurance and strength.
Steve Miller, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's about a year ago, is working out with one of the volunteers.
"It's a good workout and, and it's continuous, and that's what I pretty much like about it," he said. "Your mind doesn't think about anything else. You're just going, and when the bell rings, you got three minutes to do what you're supposed to do and then move on to the next station.".
As Miller punches the heavy bag, volunteer Anna Grace braces it and encourages him. She says boxing targets many of the skills people with Parkinson's are working to maintain.
"The skills that you need to work on with Parkinson's are really the skills that we're all working on when we're in the gym," said Grace. "Things like balance, things like you're working on your reach, you're working on full extension, all that mobility stuff, as well as breathing., That's another really big one, just the control there."
Also in class this morning is a familiar face in the Parkinson's community. Former professional cyclist Davis Phinney was diagnosed with the disease nearly three decades ago. His foundation supports people living with Parkinson's, their caregivers and research into the disease.
"The Parkinson's community is really a wonderful group of people, and they often get overlooked because of ageism or disability or whatnot, and people making judgments," he said. "And so anything I can do to help them live a better, richer, more full life today, and the key is just to keep moving."
As class comes to an end, coach Henry Motley says boxing is for anyone willing to give it a try.
"Anybody can do it, you know what I mean? It just takes getting through the door, and it's a pretty big door."
For Steve Miller, walking through that door has meant more than finding an exercise program. It's connected him with people facing the same diagnosis, and that's what keeps him coming back.
"The community and watching everybody else do it, I feel comfortable here, you know?" he said. "And we're all one. So it's a cool, cool thing that we're doing here."
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