Slowing the progression of symptoms through exercise and activity is the goal of the Winnipeg based non-profit U-Turn Parkinson’s, which has now expanded its free exercise class programming to the Pembina Valley through Rise Athletics in Winkler. The classes are happening weekly on Wednesday.
The organization was started in April 2016 by Tim Hague Sr. who was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease five years earlier.
“I was 46 years old and I was sitting in my kitchen and I noticed my left big toe was twitching,” he reflected. “I guess it was March of the next year I was ultimately diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s disease at the age of 46. To say I was irritated would be an understatement of a lifetime. I was a little scared, a little annoyed.”
Hague Sr. was a nurse for twenty-one years, plus his father had Parkinson’s, so he knew what his future most likely would look like.
“I knew at the time exercise was important to people living with Parkinson’s, it’s one of the few things they had discovered that would actually help us,” he explained. “I started asking around, ‘Okay, where do we go? What do we do? Who’s looking after this?’ And it turns out there was nowhere to go. No one was looking after it, and no one was doing anything with exercise.”
That was the moment Hague Sr. decided he needed to do something. That something was, along with a buddy, hosting a single exercise class for those with Parkinson’s, with the concept catching on very quickly. According to Hague Sr., U-Turn Parkinson’s currently has just over 900 people on its membership list, with more than 10,000 client visits in 2025.
“It’s been remarkable,” he said. “We’re thrilled to be able to be in Winkler now and serve the Pembina Valley.”
Tim Hague Sr. speaking at a U-Turn Parkinson’s event
Group’s name inspired by Amazing Race win
If Hague Sr.’s name sounds familiar, you may have watched him and his son Tim Hague Jr. win the first season of Amazing Race Canada in 2013. It was that experience which ultimately prompted the naming of U-Turn Parkinson’s, something Hague Sr. credits a friend for coming up with. In the Amazing Race, there’s a gameplay device, the U-turn, which provides your team the opportunity to slow another team down and/or eliminate them from the race by causing them to have to go back and redo another task.
“We want to slow the disease down, we want to one day see it eliminated from life, and we want to give people an opportunity to turn this disease around in their lives, in the meantime, so we decided to call it U-turn,” he said.
“Whatever you’re doing for exercise, don’t stop”
U-Turn Parkinson’s is a wellness center with a mission to empower people living with the disease in their pursuit of wellness. It’s goal is to improve quality of life, by offering a variety of accessible in-person classes, online classes and community support. On Wednesday’s, instructors Stacey and Kira lead the U-Turn Parkinson’s classes in Winkler which include a warm up, workout and cool down.
“We know intense exercise helps those of us living with the disease,” shared Hague Sr. “It’s not that it’s good for us in terms of losing weight or becoming gym rats. That’s not what it does. It’s about the fact exercise works for us the same way our medication does. It will ease our symptoms. It will ease the burden of this disease as we go forward.”
Hague Sr. is convinced he’s doing as well today as he is because of the exercise he’s done through life.
“The American College of Sports Medicine and the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Parkinson’s Foundation in the States all recommend 30 minutes a day of sweaty exercise, (and you) will see a distinct difference in our Parkinson’s progression,” he said.
“If you can, do more”
Hague Sr. is encouraging those living with Parkinson’s in the Pembina Valley to reach out to U-Turn Parkinson’s and sign up for their Winkler based classes. If attending in person is not possible, online class options are also available. He stressed those of all ages who have ben diagnosed are encouraged to join in, joking, “Don’t worry about coming out with a bunch of old folks, we’re not all old and we’re certainly not all old at heart.”
“This tends to be seen as an old man’s disease, but we know more and more young people are affected,” stated Hague Sr. “You’ve got to keep moving. If you haven’t started, you need to start. If you’re going, keep going and do more.”
He noted U-Turn Parkinson’s classes are a, “community that gets you, that understands what you’re going through, that will support you.”
The expansion to the Pembina Valley is only the beginning. According to Hague Sr., there are 7,000 Manitobans living with Parkinson’s.
“There’s so much more that needs to be done here,” he stressed .”We can make a difference in how you progress through this disease, if you’ll join us. We would love to have you, so come check us out.”
Learn more about U-Turn Parkinson’s programming now available in Winkler, here. The Winkler Community Foundation and United Way Pembina Valley provide support to the Winkler programming.
