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Praise Prose
This essay focuses on the remarkable contributions to health and wellness of Whole Body Fitness by Lajuanna. The piece is akin to the praise songs and prose of pre-colonial West Africa, works of art that were dedicated to recognizing the memorable doers of good works in society, whether in the form of lyrical poetry or prose. WBF is designed by the culturally conscious, expertly educated Exercise Physiologist Ms. Lajuanna Robinson.
In January of 2024, my own health experiences at WBF began. I was highly blessed to first encounter Ms. Robinson after spending over two "cureless" weeks at a local hospital in stiff-backed suffering from inflamed arthritis. I was in bad condition, having lost fifteen pounds, in worse shape than I was before I went seeking their medical attention. I was barely able to sustain my weight, getting slowly around with the help of back braces, canes, walking sticks, and occasionally walkers. Too nearly crippled and stiff, I was unable to drive. I had to get rid of the sedan that I had been driving and switch to an SUV. Fortunately, my wife, who had been trained by Ms. Robinson since 2023, convinced her to agree to an at-home assessment to see if it could benefit me. I couldn't exactly know it then, but healing was headed my way.
I have a vivid memory of easing slowly to the front door to let Ms. WBF come in to assess me. I am still struck by the studious air and calm aura that she has when doing her session work. As broken down and skinny-faced as I was then, I was impressed by the spiritualized compassion of her face and her whole warm manner. I discussed my recent and ongoing battles with three chronic illnesses. Then, with the confident directness bred of pure expertise and experience, Ms. Robinson put me through some paces comprised of an array of stretches, crunches, bridges, and other tests of my lack of strength and flexibility. We talked at length about the amount of work I would need to put in and a potential months-long timeline for recuperation. I was hopefully pleased when she, with a certain and comforting smile, told me that if I worked hard enough, she could get my back straightened up and gradually help me get stronger.
Throughout the Winter months, Ms. Robinson strenuously worked me out in my home twice a week during that freezing season. For the other days of the week, I was also provided with specifically devised filmed strengthening exercises for my ailing back. All of these workouts slowly had a positive impact on how I was feeling. The Fellowship aspect of the Whole Body Fitness program became increasingly important to me as my strength and flexibility gradually got better, while I was still basically homebound. She would invariably be in encouraging touch with me via text or telephone. Given the multiple medical procedures that I faced along with the arthritic back issues, her warm, motivating words and voice became vital to me.
The talks we had about the work ethic I was exhibiting and the good prospects of recovery helped me keep the wintertime blues and despondency at bay in my head. Along with a delightfully joyous multi-faceted sense of humor, Ms. Robinson has a remarkable ability to present and discuss difficult health-related concerns with clarity and positivity. Because of her interpersonal uplifting smoothness, around this time, Ms. Robinson became known as the Goddess Juanna to me, and so she remains. There is a calm, elevating energy in her voice that for me remains pure inspirational drive to correctly perform the workouts she devises and to move forward with optimism.
Come early Spring, I had improved some more and gained enough strength, do some outside walking, get around with my cane, drive, and thus be able to begin to do my workouts in the WBF's headquarters. Goddess Juanna’s gym afforded me access to the weights and various other pieces of workout equipment, which allowed me to strengthen my core muscles and improve my balance. By the time I reached that point, Goddess Juanna was able to expose me to a wider range of her back-strengthening techniques, which had a welcome and rather dramatic effect on my flexibility, balance, and mobility. The incremental aspect of the fortifying enhancements derived from the Goddess’ physiological knowledge makes it an amazing system in which to be a part.
By the time the Summer of 2024 rolled around, one day in the Whole Body Fitness headquarters, the magic happened. The events of this day were proof positive of what the Goddess would later call my “glorious recovery and strength”. The music that I had suggested at this particular session was by one of my favorite blues artists, the incomparable John Lee Hooker. We had been listening to cuts from Hooker’s THE HEALER album when his classic “Boom Boom” erupted out of the Goddess’ speakers. What I am saying here is that in a truly spontaneous moment, this eighty-one-year-old man was not only up dancing/grooving, but doing so with the Boss Lady herself, Lajuanna “The Goddess” Robinson. I had not been gigging on a dance floor like that in at least fifteen years. Wonderfully memorable to me was a text message she composed soon thereafter, which illustrates her professional skills, love of her work, concern with, and dedication to her clients: “You definitely brought me pride, joy and laughter today. I am grateful for you and was elated to see how much progress you’ve made over the past few months. You are a wonderful blessing my friend.”
To this day, I remain one of her committed clients, busily working on strength building. All praises due to the methodology of Whole Body Fitness by Lajuanna! She is an extraordinarily gifted force.
Dr. Melvin T. Peters / Professor Emeritus / African American Studies Dept. / Eastern Michigan University