A workout program to help East Texans with Parkinson’s disease

TYLER – According to our news partner, KETK, a UT Tyler School of Nursing professor and a Tyler fitness center have collaborated for more than five years to host weekly rock-steady boxing classes to improve the physical and mental health of people with Parkinson’s.

In honor of April being Parkinson’s Awareness Month, KETK News visited with UT Tyler Nursing School Professor, Dr. Melinda Hermanns and Owner of Tyler Kung Fu & Fitness, Brandon Jones, who created a rock-steady boxing class for people with Parkinson’s to help them find a community and improve their quality of life.

The rock-steady boxing class is offered multiple times of week for people to connect with others with Parkinson’s or similar diseases, and complete a wide range of interactive workouts with Coach Jones. Two different levels of classes are offered, and each meets with people where they’re at, regardless of their mental and physical abilities.

Jones explained that he draws on his many years of boxing and martial arts training to tailor each workout and help each member improve every class.

“I know where they are in the stages of the disease, what they can and cannot do, so I can tailor their improvements, meet them and I push them just a little further to make them realize they can do better, they can get faster, and have better balance,” Jones said.

Melinda Hermanns said that Rock Steady Boxing is an incredible program, and it is nationwide. “There is research evidence to support the benefits of rock-steady boxing, including improvement of physical health, coordination, and overall a person’s mood.”

“I started this program in February of 2024, and it’s been fabulous,” dedicated member of the rock steady boxing class said. “I was almost in a wheelchair, falling all the time, and this program has brought me back where I am much more mobile, much more fit, stronger and getting better.”

Jones said he wants each member to understand there are other boxers dealing with what they are dealing with. “They are not alone…This is a very isolating disease but when they get here into socialization, they realize there are other people fighting what they have.”

According to Hermanns, Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neuro-degenerative disorder that can cause motor and non-motor symptoms. Early signs of this disease are different for each person, which increases the complexity of the diagnosis. “It is not uncommon for people to say they lost a sense of smell, they may see a slight tremor, have difficulty walking, experience fatigue, sleep disturbances or act out their dreams at night, ” she said.

Hermanns explained that her personal and professional connection with Parkinson’s has pushed her to deepen her research in this disease and create the rock steady boxing program with Jones, saying, “My mom was diagnosed and lived with Parkinson’s disease for over 20 years. Watching her journey, gave me a first-hand understanding of the challenges that she and others with Parkinson’s disease experience.”

Hermanns said that after creating the program with Jones, her mom was one of the first boxers to sign up for the class. “It was just amazing to see, because we were able to see her get stronger, her balance and coordination improved as well as walking,” Hermanns said. She explained that because of her mom, she has dedicated her life to being a professor in nursing and researching to improve the quality of life of Parkinson’s patients.

“Everything I do is in honor of my mom, and it gives me great joy to give back to the Parkinson’s community and connect them with resources in the East Texas area.”