‘I feel better’: Fitness center helps those with neurological conditions

BEECH ISLAND, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Day One Fitness in Beech Island works to help those battling neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and early Dementia, Multiple Sclerosis, and stroke recovery patients.

Nancy Carter has been in classes there for four months.

“When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, my neurologist told me about Day One,” said Carter. “I was working at that time and just wasn’t able to get here. And so in June, I started coming; so I’ve been here now I guess, almost four months, and it’s just been great.”

The goal is to improve the quality of life through exercise for people with these neurological conditions.

“When you’re not moving, you get tired, you feel kind of listless, your body just doesn’t want to work as well. And so when this makes you get up and do things, and your body’s moving and working really hard, and it just makes you feel good the rest of the day,” said Carter.

Tambra Wilkerson, the gym’s president and co-founder, said Carter is not the only one who can feel results.

“Sometimes it’s hard to just get up and make yourself go workout. But you can really tell that when they get here, and they work out, they leave always feeling better than when they showed up that morning. So I think that that’s really inspiring for them,” said Wilkerson.

It isn’t about just feeling good, as it can also help them regain some motor control.

“Rather than just waiting for a cure that may come in your lifetime or may not, if people could really be proactive and take charge of what the future held for them,” said Wilkerson.

Carter said it also has social impacts like sharing information and connecting with others who can relate.

“Just everybody’s in the same position, but at different levels,” said Carter. “Some people have had it longer than others. So it’s just that community and being able to talk to each other and share information. And just feel like somebody else knows what’s going on.”

While getting up to work out may not always be easy, Carter said it’s always worth it.

“I just feel better. I’m sleeping better. I just feel like I’ve got more energy to do things throughout the day,” said Carter.

Day One Fitness is also starting a new stroke recovery program. Anyone with neurological conditions who is interested in ing can just call and set up a time to see the gym and try it for one week free.

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