IFI Excellent accredited facility transforms Tabitha's lifestyle
Tabitha Fung is enjoying an active lifestyle thanks to the Sandwell Leisure Trust's Portway Lifestyle Centre in Oldbury, near Birmingham. The facility is leading the way across the Midlands with its Excellent accreditation through the Inclusive Fitness Initiative.
In May 2014, Tabitha (32) became a wheelchair user after suddenly losing the feeling in her legs in May 2014. Doctors were left baffled by the unexplained paralysis, but she was eventually told she had multiple degenerative changes of the spine, plus protruding discs that caused impaired sensation mobility of her limbs.
Tabitha joined Sandwell Leisure Trust’s Portway Lifestyle Centre in Oldbury, near Birmingham. Portway leads the way as a centre of excellence for disabled people. It is one of the few ‘Excellent’ accredited Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI) facilities in the Midlands.
The Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI) has been established for over 10 years, with a national coverage of 400 IFI Mark accredited gym facilities. Managed by the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) it is recognised that the IFI Mark is fundamental in addressing inequality in physical activity. It reaches inactive populations and raises awareness of the benefits of exercise to get more disabled people physically active.
Recently awarded the top assessment level of ‘excellent’, Portway is reaping the benefits of IFI. By complying with the 'IFI Mark' standards, Portway Lifestyle Centre publicly delivers on its commitment to quality of service to disabled customers, plus inclusion and equality for all members to participate. Portway’s facilities are managed by charitable organisation Sandwell Leisure Trust.
To support Tabitha, or Tabi as she's often called, Portway has managed to concentrate her training programme around exercise types and protocols specific to her needs and goals.
In just six months Tabi has dropped two dress sizes, has a lot more energy and confidence, drives an adapted car, travelled to Turkey alone and is back at work. She is back on her feet and using a frame to walk around her house. Tabi is keen to share her progress, writing a blog that has inspired many other local people to get moving and try new activities.
She says:
“Before joining Portway I had no idea what I could or couldn’t do and I’ve surprised myself at my abilities. It’s transformed my life and is definitely the best thing I could have done. The staff there are so helpful and knowledgeable, plus my personal trainer Scott Parish is an absolute rock and puts a lot of extra time and effort into my training.
“Boxing is my favourite, whether it’s pad work or using the bag, and needless to say my upper body strength is developing quite nicely. And Scott is so right when he says people who train together improve together and achieve their goals quicker than people who workout alone.
“I’m the only one in a wheelchair, but there’s a real camaraderie amongst our group and if Scott is busy helping someone else, another class member will always pass me a piece of equipment if I can’t reach it, or take it off me so I’m able to move onto the next one.”
Scott explains:
“Although there are spinal issues with Tabi her spinal cord is still intact, so I have focused on improving her core, muscles which deal with stability and balance. We also needed to address posture imbalances and muscle overuse brought on by the wheel chair.
“I evaluated her movement patterns and identified weakness and strengths, plus I noted she has the ability to move on all planes of movement at her trunk. Our Synrgy 360 station is ideal for this as it combines several pieces of kit and dynamic exercises that allow us to train these specific movement patterns and improve Tabi’s every day life and performance.”
Tabi adds:
“Scott always seems in tune with my capabilities and somehow he knows if I’m in more pain that usual and won’t push me too much, but if it’s a good day he knows I want to extend my boundaries and try heavier weights or different exercises. He also understands that sitting in my chair all day can cause a lot of stiffness in my back and he helps me stretch out properly, which leaves me feeling like I can move more freely again.
“I started out joining the gym just for me, but have since discovered that my Portway journey and blog has inspired other people to get motivated and try things they have never done before. Scott tells me he’s been forwarding it onto people for inspiration and ideas and others have even stopped me in the centre to ask about it, so I’m only too pleased to listen and help. Everyone in the area who has a similar disability to me, or other mobility issues, needs to know what a fantastic facility this is.
Thanks to Portway I’m now taking the first steps to full recovery and feel strong enough to reduce my medication. In my head, 2015 is the year I fully regain control of my life, whether I’m in a wheelchair or not.”
