Arkansas man boxes to fight Parkinson’s disease
MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark.— At one point, Bud Hough and his brother used to box for fun. The 78-year-old never thought he’d be doing it again. This time, he throws a “perfect” punch to fight Parkinson’s disease.
One afternoon, Bud was watching a segment of “60 Minutes” on CBS and was given information on Rock Steady Boxing. He brought the idea to Baxter Regional Medical Center’s Mruk Family Education Center on Aging coordinator Diahanne VanGulick’s attention.
The class is being offered in Mountain Home now.
The Baxter Bulletin reports that Rock Steady Boxing was founded by former Marion County, Indiana, Prosecutor Scott Newman—who is living with Parkinson’s disease—it’s the “only boxing program of its kind in the country,” according to the Rock Steady Boxing website.
The site added Rock Steady Boxing started after Newman began intense training since his diagnosis, and then he noticed improvements in his “physical health, agility and daily functioning.” All of that because of the intense, high-energy workout. Additionally, his “quality of life improved dramatically in a short period of time due to his fighting back against Parkinson’s disease,” according to the site.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., people with Parkinson’s huddle in the west building on the campus of the Mountain Home Athletic Club.
There are several levels of participation. In the first session, there are people who are level one and two, VanGulick said, and the disease hasn’t slowed them down. In the afternoon class, the disease has started to progress. As a result, the patients lose their abilities to take care of themselves and rely on people.
According to a class handout, the first month startup is $100, which includes gloves, wraps and a new member one-on-one session with a coach. The monthly payment is $50.
Before the 90-minute class starts, boxers do several warm-up exercises. They gathered in a group with their cornermen behind them.
“You guys ready to rock steady,” VanGulick shouted.
VanGulick asked them if they’d remembered their first job. And then they stretched. One of the exercises required them to tuck their legs in while sitting on a chair, bend over so that the knee reaches the chin while counting down from 10 to one.
They also did a few hand and leg exercises with a ball. Boxers broke a sweat while punching with their black gloves. One at a time, volunteers held onto heavy boxing bags while boxers “rocked” steady.
The room was full of energy on Wednesday. But it is not necessary to try to keep up with everyone. If a boxer feels he or she cannot keep up or becomes “frustrated,” he or she should talk to a coach. Modifications and suggestions will be offered to help the boxer.
To move freely while exercising, put on some gym shoes, wear comfortable clothes, like sweatpants or shorts and T-shirts.
The Parkinson’s Disease Foundation states the disease is a chronic “progressive movement disorder,” which means the symptoms “continue and worsen over time. Nearly one million people in the U.S. are living with Parkinson’s.” There’s no cure for it, and the cause is unknown. Symptoms vary from patients to patients, the site added.
The disease has rocked the lives of several celebrities, according to the New Health Guide website, such as Muhammad Ali, Michael J. Fox, Janet Reno—first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general—Billy Graham, British actor Bob Hoskins, and others.
Barbara Hough said her husband has gotten rid of several habits since he began the class. He speaks with clear speech and has become friendlier.
Bud likes to come to class
because it allows him to interact with other people with Parkinson’s. It’s been five years since his diagnosis. He missed his daily routine, like taking care of his yard or going on trips.
“I get depressed,” Bud said.
He boxes because doctors told him exercise is the second best thing to help with Parkinson’s. His medicine comes first. On Wednesday, he wore a black tank top, blue shorts and white gym shoes. Barbara is his cornerman, making sure he keeps his balance. The 5-foot-10 boxer punched and caught a ball.
“She’s my sergeant,” Bud said. “She took over.”
Barbara drives Bud to his boxing class, supervises him with medication and helps him to be stress-free. When Bud gets discouraged, she cheers him up. The couple has been married for 40-plus years.
She said, “I just have to be on my toes all the time.”
Bud shakes often when he’s nervous. He said he used to be sort of a control “freak.” He dislikes not being able to have control of a situation. To calm down, he listens to music— any genre is his jam, except for hard rock.