BEECH ISLAND — The participants divided into two groups.
While one group punched speed bags for two minutes, members of the other group did squats on a mat. Then they switched places. Several two-minute sets of warm-up drills led up to the main workout which incorporated a variety of boxing punching and agility techniques.
People who go to Day One Fitness in Beech Island aren’t training to step into the ring to fight another opponent, however. Their fight is different.
“I’ve been a Parkinson’s sufferer for 10 years. If it weren’t for this, I’d be in a wheelchair,” said David Robinson, who has been training at the non-profit gym for five years.
Day One Fitness is celebrating its 10th in 2025. It’s grown from three classes a week to 23 classes, five days a week to help adults with Parkinson’s and early Alzheimer’s/dementia as well as offering a separate set of classes for those recovering from a stroke.
In honor of its 10th anniversary this year, a special event to recognize its participants will be Nov. 15.
When Robinson relocated from Atlanta to the Augusta area five years ago, one of the top concerns on his list was being close to a gym that suited his health needs.
“We didn’t move until we found this place,” he said, choosing a home in North Augusta to be closer to the gym.
Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological disorder. It can cause stiffness in the body, slowing of movement and trouble with balance that can raise the risk of falls, according to the Mayo Clinic website.
The Parkinson’s Foundation website said that boxing workouts with activities such as punching a speed bag and doing footwork and agility exercises provide a variety of benefits. Punching a speedbag helps to improve coordination and build muscle while the footwork helps improve balance.
The exercises keep the mind and body communicating.
“It reinforces connections, stepping and pivoting and keeping the glove up to the face. That can be challenging,” said Robert Humphries, class instructor.
Balance and learning to fall safely, having a full range of motion and functional fitness are other areas of focus.
And sometimes, it’s what might seem like a small gain to others without the medical condition that is life-changing for the participant.
Danielle Williams, executive director, relayed a success story of a man who stopped eating steak because he couldn’t cut it. His workouts led to him gaining the strength and dexterity in his hands so that he could once again cut the meat he enjoyed and give him back a piece of his quality of life.
Classes for those recovering from a stroke take a different approach, she said.
“The stroke program is designed to rebuild neuroplasticity in the brain through repetitious activity,” said Williams.
Repetition is also important to Robinson, who comes to the gym often and takes multiple classes a week, whether he’s feeling up to it or not.
“It takes real determination to come here,” he said. “I don’t want to come. I do not want to come, but if I don’t come I’d have to pay a price I don’t want to pay,” he said.
To learn more about Day One’s programs or to volunteer, visit the website, dayonefitness.org or call (803) 265-1699.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named Augusta Magazine’s best local writer in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here..
