When Ed Baker was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2018, he was given one directive by his neurologist: Exercise, exercise, exercise.
And Baker took that to heart.
“I started working out right away, knowing that that was the best way to slow down the progression of symptoms,” Baker said.
Now, Baker and other patients with Parkinson’s at Michigan Medicine have a dedicated time and space to get that all-important exercise as part of a new Rock Steady Boxing Program held at the TITLE Boxing Club in Ann Arbor.
Stepping into the ring
Rock Steady is a national nonprofit that organizes non-contact boxing programs for those with Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative movement disorder that can cause issues with speech, balance, gait and other motor skills.
Affiliate programs – such as the one at TITLE – follow a set curriculum designed to improve quality of life for their participants.
The program in Ann Arbor is only a few months old, and …