Back: Stacy Hawthorne, Saliyma Muhammad-Bey. Middle: Jelissa Gilmore, Sabria Dorsey. Front: Marisol Santana, Shanon Watts. Photo courtesy of Hakim Zahir.
When Jelissa Gilmore first started exercising, she realized she was among a small group of women, and an even smaller group of women of color, who regularly went to the gym.
It was even more rare to see women in the weights section, as many she knew were too intimidated, she said.
To Gilmore, this was a problem.
So, she began F.L.Y. Fitness in hopes of trading the intimidating atmosphere for one of empowerment. She opened her studio in 2020 with a goal to help other women like her live a healthier lifestyle.
“I had this vision of creating a facility that we all could come together in and build a community,” she said.
F.L.Y. Fitness is located on N. 6th Street, just outside Harrisburg city. At her studio, Gilmore provides personal training services and fitness classes to students. However, her program is about more than just losing weight, quickly.
“If you want to change your lifestyle, you’re in the right place because that’s what I promote,” she said.
Inside the teal-painted studio are weightlifting racks, punching bags, medicine balls and kettle bell weights, among other equipment. They’re the same things one might find in any other gym, but the environment is designed to feel different. Here, you won’t find burley men grunting out reps or rows and rows of equipment without a clue where to start.
“Women tell me this is the best thing because they’ve never seen this,” Gilmore said. “Women like the fact that this is their sanctuary.”
For each student, Gilmore crafts a fitness and healthy eating plan, tailored to their body and goals. She believes that the key to a healthy lifestyle is long-term commitment with a generous dose of grace for when you get off schedule or backslide.
Ultimately, she wants to help women feel comfortable enough to leave her program and continue their fitness journey on their own.
“If you do what I tell you, it’s gonna work,” she said. “You need to change the way you think about working out and eating healthy.”
New Lifestyle
Gilmore’s own introduction to fitness came at the age of 21. She reached a point where she knew her weight was unhealthy and out of control, she said. So, she turned to the gym hoping to get in shape.
Gilmore had her fair share of ups and downs as she lost and regained weight, but she continued working out until she really started seeing results, and those around her took notice, too.
“A lot of people started to see my dedication and the results I was getting,” she said. “It became a lifestyle for me.”
Gilmore has now been a certified trainer for seven years. A few years after F.L.Y. was born in 2018, Gilmore found her studio space. She was scared to step into the uncertainty of owning a business, but knew it was exactly what she wanted to do, she said.
And then several life changes hit.
Right as the studio was getting set to open, COVID hit, pushing back the grand opening. On top of that, Gilmore found out she was expecting her first child.
“I’ve gone through phases where my life turned upside down, but I’ve come through it,” she said.
Gilmore’s own dedication through challenging times has encouraged her students, as she serves as an example of what can happen if you commit to living healthy.
Tracy Kohl has been a student of Gilmore’s for several years. She was drawn in by Gilmore’s own transformation, which she had shared on social media.
Kohl admitted that, when she started working out, she wasn’t fully committed and had to take time off to refocus. But as she came back ready to dedicate the time, she saw amazing results. With Gilmore’s personalized workouts, Kohl lost around 50 pounds and became more interested in staying healthy than just losing weight.
“Most of the time, I feel better after I work out,” she said.
Even beyond physical results, Kohl saw her mental health improve as things that used to be issues, like seasonal depression, faded.
“It’s been even more important for my mental health than physical,” she said.
Challenge to Change
Painted on the wall of the studio is the F.L.Y. Fitness logo, a Black woman with butterfly wings lifting a barbell. She looks strong and empowered, which is what Gilmore’s ultimate hope is for her students.
She named her business to reflect that—F.L.Y. standing for “First love yourself.”
Gilmore had to learn that lesson in the early days of her fitness journey as her weight fluctuated and she faced setbacks. She’ll carry that lesson with her moving forward as she is now expecting her second child and her fitness routine will, no doubt, change again.
Students like Kohl also have had to learn that lesson as they’ve faced challenges.
No matter what the number on the scale reads, “you still have to love yourself,” Gilmore said.
As she has done that and continued to grow in confidence, her business has grown, as well. Over the years, she has noticed a small, but consistent trickle of more women, especially women of color, working out.
Gilmore hopes to expand to operate an even larger gym facility in the future—one where women will continue to feel comfortable and empowered. She knows that, both with fitness and business, “you have to consistently challenge yourself to change.”
F.L.Y. Fitness is located at 3525 N. 6th St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.flyfitnessllc.com.
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