We are learning every day that there are ways in which people with Parkinson’s disease can enhance their quality of life and even build strength, flexibility and speed! By exercising with coaches who know the ropes, you can fight your way out of the corner and start to feel and function better.
These classes have proven that anyone, at any level of Parkinson’s, can actually lessen their symptoms and lead a healthier and happier life
Various studies in the 1980s and 1990s supported the notion that rigorous exercise, emphasizing gross motor movement, balance, core strength, and rhythm, could favorably impact range of motion, flexibility, posture, gait, and activities of daily living. More recent studies, most notably at Cleveland Clinic, focus on the concept of intense “forced” exercise, and have begun to suggest that certain kinds of exercise may be neuro-protective, i.e., actually slowing disease progression. Discovery of a cure may be many years away but there is evidence that progress is made in all stages of the disease by those participating in the Rock Steady Boxing program.
Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative movement disorder which can cause deterioration of motor skills, balance, speech and sensory function. Rock Steady Boxing is the first program in the country dedicated to the fight against Parkinson’s. In our program, exercises are largely adapted from boxing drills. Boxers condition for optimal agility, speed, muscular endurance, accuracy, hand-eye coordination, footwork and overall strength to defend against and overcome opponents. At Rock Steady Boxing, Parkinson’s disease is the opponent. Exercises vary in purpose and form but share one common trait: they are rigorous and intended to extend the perceived capabilities of the participant.
Training classes include an exercise program that attacks Parkinson’s at its vulnerable neurological points. While focusing on overall fitness, workouts include: focus mitts, heavy bags, speed bags, double-ended bags, water bags, core work, cognitive activities, voice activation and circuit weight training. No boxing experience is necessary and people of all ages are invited to participate. There are four levels of classes offered, depending on the participant’s level or Parkinson’s and overall fitness. All classes at Rock Steady Boxing SRQ are mixed-level at this time.
The value of exercise has been corroborated in several studies, including some at Lakehead University in Ontario and University of Utah in Salt Lake City. According to a Cleveland Clinic study, aerobic fitness can be improved in Parkinson’s patients following “forced” and/or voluntary exercise. Studies are showing that exercise induces brain repair and accompanying behavioral recovery. Some suggest that continuous, intensive training may confer neuro-protection, and subsequently, slow, stop or reverse the progression of Parkinson’s or promote neuro-restoration. (References to any studies are for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement of Rock Steady Boxing by the researchers.)
Because of the promising results seen through Rock Steady Boxing, the organization was selected to be a part of research to document the impact of boxing and rigorous exercise on the progression of Parkinson’s. Rock Steady Boxing has also drawn the attention of university researchers who are in the process of quantifying and evaluating the results in people who have continued with Rock Steady Boxing.
Nearly everyone with Parkinson’s disease can participate and receive benefit from Rock Steady Boxing. An intake evaluation process is conducted prior to the first class to determine the boxer’s ability and evaluate balance risks. Some participants will require a caregiver partner to assist in class. Individuals of all ages are benefiting from the Rock Steady Boxing program.
We strongly encourage you to discuss Rock Steady Boxing participation with your physician prior to your first workout.
Our typical class has the following format:
Rock Steady Boxing, the first boxing program of its kind in the country, was founded in 2006 by former Marion County (Indiana) Prosecutor, Scott C. Newman, who is living with Parkinson’s. Rock Steady Boxing initially began through the friendship of two men, Scott Newman and Vince Perez, after Scott had been diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s at the age of 40. Refusing to let his friend go down without a fight, Vince turned to his experience as a Golden Gloves boxer to design a program that attacks Parkinson’s at its vulnerable neurological points. His intuitive insight is now proven to have merit through an increasing body of medical research. Realizing that their experience might be replicated for others, Scott and Vince founded Rock Steady Boxing as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. As word of this unique program spread and the demand for the classes increased, Rock Steady Boxing created classes to meet the fitness levels at all stages of Parkinson’s – from the newly diagnosed to those who had been living with it for decades plus.
As you know, the gig economy has been booming over the past several years. If youre thinking of using your skills to take on a side gig, what should you do with the money youll make?Theres no one right answer for everyone, and the decisions you make should be based on your individual situation. And of course, you may simply need the extra income to support your lifestyle and pay the bills. But if you already have your cash flow in good shape, and you have some freedom with your gig money, consider these suggestions: Contribute more to your IRA. If you couldnt afford to contribute the maximum amount to your IRA, you may find it easier to do so when you have additional money coming in from a side gig. For the 2023 tax year, you can put in up to $6,500 to a traditional or Roth IRA, or $7,500 if youre 50 or older. (Starting in 2024, this extra $1,000 catch-up contribution amount may be indexed for inflation.) The amount you can contribute to a Roth IRA is reduced, and eventually eliminated, at certain income levels. Look for new investment opportunities. If youre already maxing out your IRA, you might be able to find other investment possibilities for your side gig money. For example, if you have young children, perhaps you could use some of the money to invest in a 529 education savings plan. A 529 plan offers potential tax advantages and can be used for college, qualified trade school programs, and possibly some K-12 expenses. Please keep in mind that potential tax advantages will vary from state to state. Build an emergency fund. Life is full of unexpected events and some can be quite expensive. What if you needed a major car repair or required a medical procedure that wasnt totally covered by your health insurance? Would you have the cash available to pay these bills? If not, would you be forced to dip into your IRA or 401(k)? This might not be a good move, as it could incur taxes and penalties, and deprive you of resources you might eventually need for retirement. Thats why you might want to use your gig earnings to help fund an emergency fund containing several months worth of living expenses, with the money kept in a liquid, low-risk account. To avoid being tempted to dip into your emergency fund, you may want to keep it separate from your daily spending accounts. Pay down debts. Most of us will always carry some debts, but we can usually find ways to include the bigger ones mortgage, car payments and so on into our monthly budgets. Its often the smaller debt payments, frequently associated with high-interest-rate credit cards, that cause us the most trouble, in terms of affecting our cash flow. If you can use some of your side gig money to pay down these types of debts, you could possibly ease some of the financial stress you might be feeling. And instead of directing money to pay for things you purchased in the past, you could use the funds to invest for your future.As weve seen, your side gig money could open several promising windows of opportunity so take a look through all of them. Chad Choate III, AAMS828 3rd Avenue WestBradenton, FL 34205941-462-2445chad.chaote@edwardjones.com This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC
Its been a bumpy year for the financial markets which means that some of your investments may have underperformed or lost value. Can you use these losses to your advantage?Its possible. If you have some investments that have lost value, you could sell them to offset taxable capital gains from other investments. If your losses exceed gains for the year, you could use the remaining losses to offset up to $3,000 of ordinary income. And any amount over $3,000 can be carried forward to offset gains in future years. This tax-loss harvesting can be advantageous if you plan to sell investments that youve held in taxable accounts for years and that have grown significantly in value. And you might receive some gains even if you take no action yourself. For example, when you own mutual funds, the fund manager can decide to sell stocks or other investments within the funds portfolio and then pay you a portion of the proceeds. These payments, known as capital gains distributions, are taxable to you whether you take them as cash or reinvest them back into the fund. Still, despite the possible tax benefits of selling investments whose price has fallen, you need to consider carefully whether such a move is in your best interest. If an investment has a clear place in your holdings, and it offers good business fundamentals and favorable prospects, you might not want to sell it just because its value has dropped. On the other hand, if the investments youre thinking of selling are quite similar to others you own, it might make sense to sell, take the tax loss and then use the proceeds of the sale to purchase new investments that can help fill any gaps in your portfolio. If you do sell an investment and reinvest the funds, youll want to be sure your new investment is different in nature from the one you sold. Otherwise, you could risk triggering the wash sale rule, which states that if you sell an investment at a loss and buy the same or a substantially identical investment within 30 days before or after the sale, the loss is generally disallowed for income tax purposes.Heres one more point to keep in mind about tax-loss harvesting: Youll need to take into account just how long youve held the investments youre considering selling. Thats because long-term losses are first applied against long-term gains, while short-term losses are first applied against short-term gains. (Long-term is defined as more than a year; short-term is one year or less.) If you have excess losses in one category, you can then apply them to gains of either type. Long-term capital gains are taxed at 0%, 15% or 20%, depending on your income, while short-term gains are taxed at your ordinary income tax rate. So, from a tax perspective, taking short-term losses could provide greater benefits if your tax rate is higher than the highest capital gains rate.Youll want to contact your tax advisor to determine whether tax-loss harvesting is appropriate for your situation and youll need to do it soon because the deadline is Dec. 31. But whether you pursue this technique this year or not, you may want to keep it in mind for the future because youll always have investment tax issues to consider. Chad Choate III, AAMS828 3rd Avenue WestBradenton, FL 34205941-462-2445chad.chaote@edwardjones.com This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.Edward Jones, Member SIPC
As you go through life, youll have various financial goals and to achieve them, youll need to invest. But just recognizing the need to invest is not as useful as matching specific types of accounts or investments with specific goals. How can you make these connections?Lets look at some common goals and how they could possibly be met with appropriate accounts and investments: Saving for a down payment on a house When youre saving for a down payment, you want a certain amount of money available at a certain time so, for this goal, you wont want to take too much risk. Consequently, you might consider investing in certificates of deposit (CDs), which will pay you regular interest payments and return your principal when the CDs mature. CDs are issued in a range of maturities, from one month to 10 years. Other vehicles you might consider are money market accounts or other cash equivalents. Saving for a childs education If you have children, and youd like to help them pay for some form of higher education, you may want to consider a 529 education savings plan. Any earnings growth in a 529 plan is federally tax free, provided the withdrawals are used for qualified education expenses, and you may also receive state tax benefits. A 529 plan can be used for college, approved trade school programs, student loan repayments and some K-12 costs. And if the child youve named as a beneficiary chooses not to continue their education, and doesnt need the money in a 529 plan, you can generally switch beneficiaries to another immediate family member. Saving for retirement This is the one goal that will remain consistent throughout your working years after all, you could spend two or even three decades in retirement, so youll need to accumulate as many financial resources as you can to pay for those years. Fortunately, you likely have access to several good retirement-savings vehicles. If you work for a business, you might have a 401(k) plan, which offers you the chance to put away money on a tax-deferred basis. (If you have a Roth option in your 401(k), your withdrawals can be tax free, although, unlike a traditional 401(k), your contributions wont lower your taxable income.) If you work for a public school or a nonprofit organization, you may be able to participate in a 403(b) plan, which is quite similar to a 401(k), and the same is true if you work for a state or local government, where you might have a 457(b) plan. And even if you invest in any of these plans, you can probably also contribute to an IRA, which gives you another chance to invest on a tax-deferred basis (or tax-free basis, if youre eligible for a Roth IRA). Try to take full advantage of whatever retirement plans are available to you.Here's one final point to keep in mind: While some investments and accounts are appropriate for certain goals, they may not necessarily be suitable for your individual situation so keep all your options in mind and take the steps that are right for you. Chad Choate III, AAMS828 3rd Avenue WestBradenton, FL 34205941-462-2445chad.chaote@edwardjones.com This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC
BMOFIT | Fitness for LifeGroup Fitness ClassesWe invite you to join our boutique, instructor-led gym in Sarasota where you can take charge of your unique fitness goals. BMoFit offers a person-centered approach to exercise focused on regaining and maintaining vitality.Our group fitness classes are designed for functional movement to train multiple joints and numerous muscles to make it easier and safer to enjoy daily physical activity. We use exercise tools such as free weights, kettle bells, fitness balls, steps, bands and boxing bags to strengthen upper body, lower body and core stability. We also use body weight resistance exercises like squats, planks, push-ups and lunges. All exercises have sequential modifications from beginner to advanced to accommodate all fitness levels. You can adjust the intensity of your workout up or down as needed.BMoFit offers small class sizes in a non-competitive atmosphere. You get a personal exercise experience that supports your overall well-being. Join us!Zoom Group Fitness ClassesZoom fitness classes are done at home with minimal equipment for those wanting the convenience and/or safety of working out away from the studio. A couple of dumbbells, a band or two, and a yoga mat are all you need to participate. These items can be checked out from the studio. Classes are 50 minutes and can be done in a limited space. Live sessions are three mornings per week at 7:00 am, or you can do the recorded sessions, which are delivered to your inbox and can be done when its convenient to your schedule.Rock Steady Boxing SRQRock Steady Boxing SRQ is for individuals with Parkinsons Disease or Parkinsonism. Classes include an exercise program that attacks Parkinsons at its vulnerable neurological points. While focusing on overall fitness, workouts include nine heavy boxing bags, speed bags, core work, BIG movements, cognitive activities, voice activation, and circuit weight training. No boxing experience is necessary, and people of all ages and all levels of fitness are invited to participate.Nearly everyone with Parkinsons can participate and get benefit from Rock Steady Boxing. Our mission is to empower people with Parkinsons to fight back.Zoom Rock Steady Boxing SRQZoom Rock Steady Boxing classes are done from home using minimal equipment a set of hand weights or boxing gloves or two water bottles, and a chair. Classes include shadow boxing combinations mixed with Parkinsons-related weight exercises. Then, strength, balance and core work, ending with 15-20 minutes of stretching from the chair.Yoga Group ClassesBMoFit offers Hatha-style yoga classes where we spend a little time in each pose accompanied with a gentle flow. Our classes offer a calming practice to refresh and renew your spirit. Classes are suitable for beginner through advanced clients. Yoga mats and props available for all participants.Private SessionsPrivate one-on-one sessions or small groups of 2-4 participants are available for Fitness Training, Rock Steady Boxing and Yoga.