Greg Dohler/The StarKara Bishop owner of Excel Personal Training, Inc., recently opened a new location on Mitchellville Road in Bowie.
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Kara Bishop is an unassuming soul who doesn't like to talk much about herself. She's a positive individual who loves to socialize with the members of the Bowie community. Her smile can light up a room. Her energy is inspiring.
But a chronic neuromuscular disease she developed nine years ago seriously threatened her life. Bishop's health rapidly deteriorated and there wasn't any medication to aid her failing body.
Bishop, who loved to play softball, volleyball, golf and to jet ski, was robbed of her energy and zest.
Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), she needed help fast. But it wasn't until she went through physical therapy that her health gradually improved, giving her the idea of opening her own physical fitness center one day.
"Doctors tried to give me [medicine] to help my health, but that just didn't work for me. It was the physical therapy that helped me through," said Bishop, 34.
The Excel Personal Training facility now exists in a quaint suite in an office building at 3038 Mitchellville Road, suite 204 in south Bowie. It's been open for two weeks.
The facility, Bishop said, offers something the other health centers in Bowie do not offer: privacy.
In an attempt to guarantee that privacy, Anne Tyler, a personal trainer at Excel Personal Training, says the center will have a maximum of four people per workout only.
"It's not like we make people work out in front of a large group. We provide that alternative so our clients won't feel embarrassed," Tyler said.
The personnel at the Excel Personal Training also offers a helping hand to those struggling with adversity in their everyday lives.
"Our clients have the tendency to unload their personal problems," Bishop said. "We want to play a major role in the lives of the Bowie community. We want to be a part of their lives and provide our own counseling."
Bishop opened a similar business in Georgetown in 1995.
She would travel to various homes, stay with the families as a boarder, and conduct private training sessions in her client's living room.
She still conducts that business, Bishop says, because she wants to enlighten her clientele on the benefits of physical fitness and holistic health.
"We try to tell people 'This is for you.' We want our clients to eventually do this focus training on their own," Bishop said. "They learn to make decisions for themselves and know what's healthy."
Workouts are possible by appointment only. For more information, contact Kara Bishop at 301-249-9328.
E-mail Marcus Moore at mmoore@gazette.net.
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