[sprockets clicking]
Stan Livingston likes to stay in motion.
- Stan Livingston: I like getting up in the morning
and figuring out what exercise I'm going to do that day.
It makes me feel better.
*
- A retired physician, he knows the importance
of physical activity.
[exhales]
He spent years trying his hand at triathlons...
- Stan Livingston: Over a 20-year period,
I did a lot of triathlons, mostly short ones.
You know, what's called sprint triathlons
that last anywhere from an hour, an hour and a half.
- Eventually, working up to a tougher test,
Madison's annual Ironman competition.
- It's a 2.4-mile swim, it's a 112-mile bike ride,
and it's a marathon.
So it took me about 13 1/2 hours.
It was a goal that I set out to accomplish,
and I was able to do it, so it was gratifying.
[upbeat music]
- Today, Stan doesn't run triathlons,
but still stays fit using his fists.
- One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
- This is Rock Steady Boxing in Fitchburg.
It's a non-contact boxing fitness class.
- Seven, eight, nine, ten.
- Patti Batt: You have to have balance.
There's a lot of balance with boxing.
You have to have coordination.
You have to have strength.
Over here!
One, two, switch stance, one, two.
- One, two.
- Strength, coordination, balance.
- One, two.
- These things are important because Stan
and everyone else in this class
has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
- So I was diagnosed, I believe, around 2014.
I noticed that I had a tremor in my hand.
I was-- went to see the physicians,
and they confirmed that it was Parkinson's.
Yeah.
- Parkinson's is a neurological disease
with no cure.
It deteriorates motor skills, memory, and much more.
Stan says some days, he still doesn't believe it.
- There's a lot of adjustment to realizing that you have
a degenerative disease that just by its nature
is gonna get gradually worse over time.
- And they're told, you have
this degenerative neurological disease,
and there's no cure.
And it's kind of like, well,
what the heck do I do with that?
- One, two, three, four, five, six.
- Stan is fighting back.
He attends Rock Steady Boxing
almost every chance he gets.
- And let's go! Let's get at it!
- Instructor Patti Batt does not pull punches
with this workout.
- They are fighting for their lives.
They're fighting really hard against a disease
that really pushes them and challenges them every day.
So, to come in here,
they need to really go at it full force.
Punch it out, and let me hear it!
- The class combines cardio and boxing
to slow the progression of Parkinson's symptoms.
- Come on, you guys, let's get it, go!
They're doing things that they didn't realize they could do,
and I think it gives them hope.
And I feel like that's a lot about what this is about,
giving people hope.
Whoo! You're almost there.
- And for Stan, a fun, social way
to keep exercising.
- Sometimes, if I wake up and I feel sort of grumpy or tired,
and I know that if I get to class,
my mood will improve, and I'll feel good afterwards.
- Patti sees Stan setting the pace for his peers,
even when Parkinson's pushes him up against the ropes.
- He's a quiet leader.
I'm loud and out there and craziness.
And switch!
Whoo!
But Stan leads a little differently,
but he's definitely a leader with this group,
and people really look up to him.
- A lot of times, we don't have a choice
of what problems we face, but we do have a choice
in how we address them or how we cope with them.
*
- Switch!
- Facing the fight of a lifetime,
Stan plans to go the distance.
- Now, deep breath, tuck that chin in.
- You can still live well with Parkinson's.
You know, that's basically what we're all trying to do,
you know, to understand the challenges,
but still have a full and meaningful life.
- All: One, two, three! Family!
[applause] - Whoo!
- Let's hear it for our volunteers!
- Yeah! - Whoo!