Western Michigan gym to offer free “Punch Out PTSD” classes for veterans
February 02, 2020
Title Boxing Kalamazoo in Portage, Michigan now offers free exercise classes specifically for veterans who are dealing with posttraumatic stress disorder. The hour-long class is called “Punch Out PTSD” and features a group conversation with a licensed therapist and a boxing workout.
The owner of Title Boxing Kalamazoo, Amy Heyduck, is passionate about helping veterans. She was raised in a family of veterans, married a veteran and employs multiple veterans in her business. She and her staff often see their clients deal with anxiety and depression through boxing workouts and hope to help veterans experience the same release.
PTSD is a common affliction for those who have experienced something traumatic, such as combat. Up to 20 percent of veterans who served in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom have PTSD. For Vietnam veterans, that percentage is as much as 30 percent. Symptoms of PTSD vary but include intense emotions that can be triggered at any time, anger, anxiety, depression and more.
Using a conservative estimate of those figures, that means that of the 672,000 veterans in Michigan, roughly 114,000 or 17 percent could have PTSD.
An assistant general manager at the gym, Scott Underwood, a combat veteran and Reservist who suffers from PTSD, says that boxing workouts at Title Boxing were one of the most effective things for his symptoms. He helped develop Punch Out PTSD and hopes it starts an ongoing conversation about the condition.
Underwood and Heyduck say the class will help end the stigma, often among sufferers themselves, surrounding PTSD. Although the time at the start of the classes with the therapist will not be a therapy session, it is designed to help veterans see that they can talk about it and that they are far from alone. Chatting together might help participants bond.
For more information about Punch Out PTSD contact Title Boxing Kalamazoo in Portage, Michigan at 269-743-7839.