Coach Keith Keppner | December 17th, 2018
I am so proud to announce that I have just completed 11 hours of training and continuing education on how to better serve our Parkinson’s clients in our KOPD (Knockout Parkinson’s) Program! Even though we have been effectively serving people with PD in our Athens location and surrounding areas with Boxing Classes for 3 years, it is so important for us to stay up to date on the latest research and strategies for helping this wonderful group of people. There are many stages to PD and different symptoms people experience, so it was very helpful to dive into every level of how to best serve and assist each individual person. Along with this certification, Keppner Boxing is now a part of the referral program for people with PD across Georgia. This will help people battling PD in North Georgia more easily find out about our program and experience the amazing benefits of Boxing training designed for Parkinson’s.
Besides the personal relationship I have built up with our clients over the years, I do have some ability to relate to a small portion of what they are dealing with, symptomatically speaking. I contracted an illness many years ago, Lyme Disease, that attacks the nervous system and has neurodegenerative effects as well. In many ways, my array of symptoms mirrored PD with fatigue, depression, muscle spasms, sweating and cognitive processing issues. I am so grateful for having this experience, even though I had it for years, because I believe it now allows me to relate more with our KOPD clients than if I hadn’t!
It’s also been so inspiring to be around other people throughout the state of Georgia who are part of the same mission to positively impact people battling PD through Fitness! Medication, exercise and lifestyle are the greatest weapons we have right now to combat this challenging disease that there is still no cure for or conclusive cause. I am so grateful to be a small part of this continued fight!
If you or anyone you know is battling PD, please recommend that they start taking some type of exercise program with other people in the same situation. Many go through a process of denial which often times follows a withdrawal period, which can have extreme negative effects. Ignoring the diagnosis and not making big changes to your lifestyle will result with a rapid onset of symptoms. Parkinson’s is not curable at this time, but you must do everything you can in your power to change the course of the disease and Certified Boxing and exercise programs like ours have been shown to be an essential weapon in this fight, the fight of your life!
– Coach Keith Keppner