On Tonya Trail in an unassuming building is a gym unlike any other. Inside the front door, a couple of members chat and joke while riding exercise bikes. Just past them, a group of ladies sit on comfy couches happily socializing, while a dog named Yogi snuggles up against his favorite person. Music comes from the next room, which is home to rows of boxing bags and a diverse group of individuals participating in a class. This is NeuroFit Gym, where people with a variety of neurological diagnoses come to exercise, strengthen their bodies, and find a community of support.
Neurofit Gym was founded in 2018 by licensed physical therapists, Amy Bertram and Colleen Schuster with the focus of providing continued care and support to individuals with neurological disorders such as Parkinson's, MS, ALS, and more. After practicing as physical therapists for years, they saw the traditional insurance based rehab setting often left patients needing more help with nowhere to turn when their insurance would no longer cover their care. “I've always wanted to do this because when I went to outpatient and treated people that have neuro disorders, it was like once therapy was done, there was really nowhere for them to go (…)and for them to continually improve they have to exercise.” Bertram said. “So after looking into it I decided that people needed a place to go after insurance kind of ran out for them.”
For Schuster, this issue hit close after her dad was diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy and struggled to find support.
"He always had a hard time finding a place to exercise,” Schuster said. “You'd go to someplace and then he would need too much help and they wouldn't be able to help them or, my mom actually had to help him in class.”
Neurofit Gym bridges the gaps left by traditional therapy while also providing a community of support for both the client and their care partner. Members can choose from a variety of classes to meet their specific needs or work individually with a physical or occupational therapist. Some classes focus on a specific disease – such as Neurofit Boxing for Parkinson's Disease or Delay the Disease (also for Parkinson's), while others are open to any neurological impairment such as Neurobox and Neuro Bootcamp. There is also a set of classes open to members of the gym and members of the community, with or without a neurological diagnosis.
The unique classes offered by Neurofit support the individual in many ways, including building strength and endurance, balance, flexibility, and cognitive strength. Through these classes, community members learn to adapt, regain independence, and improve their quality of life. Unlike a traditional gym, most classes are run by a licensed PT or OT, and instructors are able to adapt to meet the individual needs of each member.
The gym relies on donations, grants (which Schuster applies for herself), and funding from the classes. There is no charge for the initial assessment or first class, and classes range in cost from $5 to $15. All of the funding from classes goes straight back into the gym.
While clients at Neurofit span across many diseases, ages, and abilities, everyone agrees on one thing: Schuster and Bertram's approach, the classes they participate in, and the community of support they have gained are life-changing.
When Tom Wooten began at Neurofit, he had to sit for the boxing classes and had given up a lot of normalcy. “I had to sit down and box for a year,” Wooten said. “I didn't drive. I can drive now after a year. And I also went back and got my part time job back after a year. So it's done a lot for me. And I can't say enough about Amy and Colleen. And these people are like family. It means a lot to me.”
Dave has been attending Neurofit classes for about two years. “It's just a great place,” he said. “It's a good social club, where you're all in the same boat, and at times you can even laugh about your situation. They're very attentive...they really have your interest at heart.”
Finding ways to offer support for the care partners, who are often spouses of members, was also an important aspect of structuring Neurofit. “Here, we don't make the care partners help their partner,” Schuster said. “That's what we want to be able to do for them. So their care partners can sit and talk, they can leave, they can come back.” Care partners can even participate in group classes free of charge.
Bonnie Jackson, care partner to her husband Fred, has been coming to Neurofit classes for over two years.
“They all graciously let me do everything with them, and it's a phenomenal group of people,” she said. “Like everybody says, the community, the exercise...great, the fellowship is really good.
For some, such as the ladies socializing on the couches, the chance to rest and talk with other care partners during classes has helped their mental health and given them a support group of their own. Jeanette Turner, whose husband Tom has Parkinson's Disease, feels like a cheerleader for the organization. “It's not just for them,” she said. “See these ladies here? I was doing everything on my own and I was spiraling. And I got here, and this is my support. And I need them as much as he needs that.”
Lee Berumen, whose husband has had Parkinson's for seven years has also enjoyed the camaraderie at Neurofit.
“As a partner, I realize that there's somebody else going through the same thing I am,” she said. “And I know these people. We can all bond together about everything.”
Since opening, Neurofit has grown from 1500 square feet of space and around 20 members, to 2500 square feet of space with over 80 members. The class offerings have expanded, and they have added new staff members. As the only gym of its kind in the Greater Cincinnati area, Neurofit promises continued growth and a legacy of impact and lives changed.
