Kevin Stockford. (Photo from FindYourTrainer.com)
ORLANDO | The LGBT+ Center Orlando is partnering with Kevin Stockford, a personal trainer at Florida Fitness Concept, to host a pair of free fitness classes in February focusing on those living with HIV and those taking HIV preventative medications.
Stockford is certified with the National Federation of Professional Trainers and Functional Range Conditioning and has been working as a personal trainer for 14 years. He also works for AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a nonprofit organization where he collaborates with doctors who are testing and providing care for those living with HIV and AIDS.
The classes will be “Prepped for Vitality,” which takes place Feb. 4, and “Move with Positivity,” which takes place Feb. 6.
“Move with Positivity” is a joint mobility and physical fitness class for HIV-positive individuals. “A study published in The Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (2017) highlighted that strength training and aerobic exercises could significantly improve muscle mass, bone health, and immune function in people living with HIV, even in those on ART. Additionally, exercise has been shown to lower inflammation and improve the body’s ability to fight infections, further supporting immune health,” the event description reads.
The “Prepped for Vitality” class is also a joint mobility and physical fitness class but for people using PrEP medications. “By combining regular exercise with PrEP, individuals can boost their overall health, increase resilience against illness, and improve quality of life, ensuring the most comprehensive approach to their well-being,” the event description reads.
“My passion lies in supporting the HIV community and underserved populations, ensuring they have access to the tools and resources needed to live healthier, more fulfilling lives.” Stockford says. “I strive to use my expertise to make a positive impact, combining fitness with advocacy to uplift and empower those who need it most.”
Stockford will focus the classes on working every joint in the body and catering the exercise to the individual person.
“Essentially, we have ranges of motion and certain ways our joints move so we want to explore those ranges and see which are limited and see what can improve, strengthen and stabilize. Put that all together so when your body moves it can mechanically move the way it’s supposed to,” he says.
Stockford says increasing the range of motion of a joint will help to reenergize the muscles and is beneficial to individuals to feel better physically, especially for those who are older in age.
“When you improve the range of motion in a joint you access more muscle tissue and the body’s ability to tap into muscle tissue that’s otherwise shut down.” Stockford says.
Stockford says the long-term goal of this class is to help people be “absolutely healthy, confident and as happy as possible” and to also “empower them to learn more about their bodies.”
Stockford combines his knowledge from AHF Pharmacy and his personal training experience to “bridge the gap” of pharmacy and fitness.
“Pharmacies usually get the reputation of caring more about loading people up with medication or making sales than somebody’s overall wellbeing,” Stockford says. “AHF’s pharmacy is different.”
AHF offers several different services including wellness centers, pharmacy, housing assistance and more. It also operates the Out Of The Closet thrift stores, putting 96 cents from every dollar it takes in back into its HIV/AIDS services. Working with them for the last two and a half years, Stockford says he believes in their cause.
According to the National Institutes of Health, those living with HIV can see many benefits by adding even a small amount of exercise into their daily lives.
“Research suggests that exercise may produce beneficial physiological changes in the HIV-infected population such as improved body composition and increases in both strength and endurance,” NIH states on its website. “In addition, psychological conditions such as depression and anxiety have been shown to be positively affected by exercise.”
Stockford plans to add additional classes moving forward with a goal of helping as many people as he can.
“Every morning, I wake up and I’m so happy and so blessed to be able to help people,” he says. “That’s really my main purpose: help as many people as I can in whatever way I can.”
KStock Fitness Classes with Kevin Stockford will take place at the LGBT+ Center Orlando Feb. 4 and Feb. 6, both starting at 1:15 p.m. For more information and to sign up for the Feb. 4 and 6 classes, go to The Center Orlando’s Eventeny page.
