SMARTfit trains your body, brain with games

FINDLAY — Dave Braun stood facing an electronic board, waiting to play "Go No Go." Hit the green circles when they appear and avoid the red ones, Anna Lee, fitness and wellness manager at 50 North, said as she handed him a pair of drumsticks. While it looked a lot like a game, for Braun, who was diagnosed two years ago with Parkinson's disease, it also helps with the disconnect between cognitive thought and physical activity. The SMARTfit program is one of the newest offerings available at 50 North's Wellness Center. It supports improvements in making quicker, smarter decisions, enhancing problem-solving abilities, executing combined cognitive and motor skills more efficiently, processing visual information faster for quicker reactions, and enhancing focus, balance, coordination and speed. "This is such an exciting program we've brought into the facility. It works with like dual tasking - it works on cognitive along with motor skills. So combining those two enhances the neurocognitive performance of individuals," said fitness and wellness director Francie Kasmarek. Braun turns 64 in April. The Arlington man said he was "kind of forced to retire" from a 48-year career in the flour milling business in October because he has some memory issues and can't drive distances now. "When I was first diagnosed, I was pissed off," he said. "But then after a while, you can laugh, you can cry. I laugh about it. And for me, my purpose right now is to try and help other folks with it." He doesn't think a lot of people know that resources are available at 50 North, not just for those who have Parkinson's disease but also for people over 60 with other issues. "I think more people need to know this is available because we've had some folks come into our Parkinson's classes that were afraid to come because they didn't know if they could do the activities," Braun said. Strength and balancing classes are offered for members with Parkinson's disease on Tuesdays and Thursdays. "It could be almost 30 people in the class and they're not just from Findlay. They're from around the area because there's not a resource for these people. There's some people driving from Upper and from Bowling Green so it's a good resource," he said. Braun said one of the most important things he's found is the need to stay active. "You can't be sedentary. You've got to get up and move just to keep ahead of it so they push us," he said. Kasmarek said they try to modify the exercises for those who can't move as quickly or do some of the exercises. "Instead of standing, we have them seated," she said. "That's why this program is so nice. It goes along with all our other programs and classes we have." Braun explained that everyone who has Parkinson's is different. "It's a snowflake disease. No two people have the same things," he said. "People notice the outside stuff, the tremors, the balance, the falling or whatever. But there's a lot of stuff that goes on inside that people don't see. There's nauseous. There's loss of appetite. There's a whole list of things. Everybody is different." SMARTfit can address different conditions like those with Parkinson's, strokes and mild cognitive neurological conditions, she said. "With 30 years of experience working in the fitness and wellness industry and Anna's 13 years' experience working with 50 North's Wellness Center, we've seen firsthand the increasing need to support our wellness center members in addressing cognitive decline," she said. Kasmarek said someone had been using the SMARTfit at the Y in Perrysburg and encouraged the staff at 50 North to get the program. "They've had it for like two years now and they've had people that were wheelchair bound who are now walking," said Lee. "They danced at their daughter's wedding so it works. And knowing and hearing their testimonies gets us excited about doing this, too." To qualify for the program, a person must have a neurocognitive disorder of some sort like Parkinson's, a stroke, dementia or Alzheimer's. They must be a Wellness Center member. There's also an additional fee for the 20-30 minute sessions with trained staff. Kasmarek said they've been focusing on the Parkinson's class and encouraging members to try the program. "They've only been doing it for a couple of weeks now, but they have really seen little things throughout the day that they feel like its improving," she said. "Even for our Parkinson's group, a big thing we use the SMARTfit board for is just getting their gait better or their balance better so this can work with that, too." Members do two different tests in preparation to use the program. One is a basic physical test, while the other is a challenging cognitive test. Together, they give a baseline reading with recommendations on the "games" the participants should play. "Those programs are entered and then it's repetition," said Kasmarek. "So they do these predesigned programs and they do the same program each time they come. But the repetition helps with those firing in the brain and getting things moving. They see those benefits because they see they're improving." The board is moveable and can go up or down, depending on the person's height and the activity they're doing, said Lee. "The legs can move and hit the board. They can punch the board. They can use (pool) noodles. You can use all sorts of things on the board," she said. But they don't have to be at a certain physical level to be able to do this, she noted After testing, participants usually go in twice a week for eight weeks and then are retested. A no-obligation consultation is available either via phone or in person.