by Naari Honor

Naari HonorI have a friend Trish who is confined to a wheelchair due to a horrible crime in which a cruel man abducted her and left her for dead on a beach. Because of this heinous act, one side of her body is paralyzed.

Trish has not let this stop her from functioning normally in everyday society. She holds a regular job as a receptionist. However, the world does not see her as “normal” sometimes and tends to coddle her, which angers her on a regular basis.

Once I decided to try my hand at belly dancing and I told her how awesome it would be if she were to join me. While her eyes lit up she reminded me that she doubted we could her get her chair into the studio. But I showed her a commercial from the studio that featured a young lady just like her taking the class.

I will never forget that moment.

Years later, when I had the distinct pleasure of enduring a chronic illness, I found myself in a similar place as Trish.

Believe it or not, I was once a gym rat and I still have the clothes to prove it. Now I am afraid to walk through the hallowed doors of a gym because the effects of my chronic migraines or my epilepsy could rear their ugly heads at any moment, and it’s not a pretty sight.

I suppose I could put my conditions on one of those emergency cards or wear my bracelets so people would know what is going on if I suddenly began to shake uncontrollably, become dazed, begin to slur my speech, or fall to my knees in excruciating pain. But would they get to me in time? And quite honestly I still feel embarrassment when I have an “episode” in public. Additionally, because I look “normal” most people forget how truly sick I am and take forever to notice that anything is even happening.

A while ago I came across a company on Facebook that is based in Charlotte that truly spoke to me because I felt could be the answer to my dilemma, Forseca Fitness.

Forseca Fitness is owned and by a transgender male by the name of Ilya Parker. Parker is hellbent on providing personal training for those who are transgendered, disabled or have a chronic illness.

In addition to an extensive program for transgender individuals that includes supplement management support, there are other features that make the program inviting, including packages tailored to age, body type and needs. Macro-nutrient coaching focuses on the amount of fats, carbs, protein and cardio needed for an individual on a weekly basis. The restorative programs help participants improve function and mobility and help maintain a healthy fitness level. Forseca also offers group and online training in addition to individual coaching.

Sounds amazing right? The only catch is that there isn’t a Forseca Fitness in Greensboro and while they have an online component, there’s nothing like hands-on support.

Having a place like Forseca in Greensboro would mean not feeling out of place even when it was time for me and Trish to work out, or those individuals who are in the midst of transitioning and don’t want to have to go through the awkward conversation of explaining their process.

I say Forseca Fitness for Greensboro. What say you?

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