Josh Bredimus, an instructor at Sagewood, gained interest in fitness while attending Arizona State University studying geology, and he worked in a physical therapy clinic, where he found his passion for fitness. After working at a large health club where he did personal training and spas. After Covid-19, Bredimus discovered his calling: working with seniors. Fast forward, Bredimus teaches group fitness classes and designs specialized fitness plans based on the resident’s goals, history, and physical abilities.
Josh got the idea of Functional Fitness from Rock Steady boxing, and he does boxing as a hobby; he implemented Functional Fitness by deconstructing the elements of boxing it can be translated into people’s daily lives. The program at Sagewood is explicitly designed for residents with Parkinson’s disease and residents of all ability levels, men, and women.
This program attracts residents because it has a fun take on exercise that helps with daily living, like balance, moving forward and backward, reaction times, hand-eye coordination, cardiovascular, and remembering the techniques that are challenging and changing often. It is not the standard approach to exercise helping those with cognitive decline. The parts of the class that benefit Parkinson’s is the full body movements that challenge their balance and move dynamically through space. Boxing has a good effect on those with Parkinsons. Residents with Parkinsons shared with Josh that their symptoms are often lessened the following day after participating in the classes.
The Functional Fitness program is at Sagewood for residents twice a week for 30 minutes, and there is a studio with three sections and three instructors, one for boxing, strength, and agility. The average age is about 70 to 90 years of age. There is a comradery among the residents in class where they encourage one another and socialize which is a health benefit. In the summer, they look to offer cutting-edge classes based on the residents’ demands. Josh had an opportunity to take a team to participate in an event for the Michael J. Fox Foundation, “Box for Bucks,” as the oldest team, they took second place. Surprisingly, one participant broke a medicine ball, which Joshua would argue that you don’t know what you can do until you give it a shot, no matter your age or ability.
