CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — Exercise certainly helps when it comes to living a longer, healther life, even if you are facing an incurable disease.
- Free Pedaling for Parkinson's class at Citrus YMCA
- Free class available for 8 weeks on certain days
- Class aims to help alleviate Parkinson's symptoms
At the Citrus County YMCA, a new program is hoping to improve health and hope. It's called Pedaling for Parkinson's Program.
The group classes kicked off December 9 in Citrus County and are free for the first eight weeks for non-members. Riders are tasked with pedaling at high speeds for short bursts of time.
The goal is to help alleviate Parkinson's symptoms.
"Besides helping functional strength, some of our individuals haven't done very much in a period of time so it's a basic core level of strength they have to develop once again. Then most important once they get up to the proper revolutions per minute with the program hopefully it will reduce some of the symptoms and the tremors they're experiencing," said Bill Coyle with the Citrus Memorial Health Foundation YMCA.
"I'm here three days a week, and it's no comparison," said Pete Burrell who used to ride his bike every day for 40 minutes for the past two years.
Even after just a few weeks, Burrell said he's already seeing improvements.
"I find myself more relaxed."
And a big part of that, said Burrell, comes from being part of a community.
"It makes you realize there are other people in the same boat," he said.
"We're developing a nice fine bond between these individuals and the goal is that they'll continue on this journey together," Coyle said.
The Greater Palm Harbor YMCA is also offering the free program for eight weeks which started on January 14.