He Put the Gloves On: A Son’s Fight Became Asheville’s Lifeline for Parkinson’s

“You don’t sit and stack cones when life is asking you to stand up and move,” says Kreig Marks. “With Parkinson’s, activity is key.” The first session didn’t happen in a clinic—it happened in a living room. A frustrated son slid boxing gloves onto his father’s hands and discovered that movement, done right, could hand a person back their independence.

Meet the Founder & the Mission

Kreig Marks leads the Parkinson’s Fitness Center of Asheville, located inside One of Asheville in Arden. For 30+ years—working with more than 4,000 people—he’s helped clients reclaim strength, balance, confidence, and daily independence. The work started in the mid-90s with his own dad’s diagnosis and evolved into a human-first approach that treats every client as singular.

“I don’t do the same thing day after day,” Kreig says. “Everybody’s different.” He reads how someone walks in from the parking lot and adapts on the fly—considering medication timing, sleep, mood, and energy—so the plan fits the person, not the other way around.

What They Do (In Human Terms)

Sessions feel athletic, not clinical: non-contact boxing, interval work, brisk walks, hikes, stair circuits, balance and reaction drills, and cognitively engaging tasks. Some days it’s mountain-bike sessions or rock-wall work; other days it’s focused gait, posture, and breath. Between visits, he texts simple “do this today” prompts because progress happens in the in-between. “The follow-through is just as important,” he says.

The First Problem They Solve: Fear

Most people arrive carrying fear, anxiety, and the internet’s worst-case scenarios. “Ninety-nine percent become Google doctors,” Kreig says. His response is education and momentum: move early, keep the mind active, clean up nutrition, manage medication wisely, and build wins that restore agency. “My job is to educate, motivate, and show them this is not a death sentence.”

Why His Approach Works

Decades ago, Kreig pioneered non-contact boxing with his father—long before it became common—because he saw it sparked balance, coordination, and confidence. He’s kept long-running statistics that help set expectations, collaborates with neurologists and movement-disorder specialists, and lectures future clinicians about non-conventional exercise for Parkinson’s (Vanderbilt now, Duke next). When insurance rules once boxed in holistic care, he changed the model so he could serve the whole person—gloves, hikes, humor, and hope included.

Values You Can Feel

There’s a line he won’t cross: money won’t be the reason someone doesn’t get help. “I never turn anybody away,” he says. “If they need it, they’re getting it—and that ten dollars gets the very best of me.” If a client can’t travel, he goes to them. If motivation dips, he nudges. If fear spikes, he reframes it with a plan.

Community, Belonging, and Local Roots

Asheville and Arden give this work a heartbeat. Inside the multi-discipline hub at One of Asheville (acupuncture, counseling, social services), families can plug into more support under one roof. The culture is part grit, part laughter—clients trade stories, celebrate small victories, and remind each other that movement is a team sport.

Results That Matter

Clients who follow through rebuild trust in their bodies: smoother gait, steadier balance, more confident transfers, and the return of everyday independence—dressing, moving through the house, enjoying a walk outside without fear. “The goal is to get the heart rate up in a way that’s right for that person,” Kreig says. “Everybody’s different.”

Vision & What’s Next

Kreig is planning a standalone Parkinson’s Fitness Center to serve more people at once, mentor trainers, and create a program that outlives him. Expansion beyond North Carolina is on the table, but his role won’t change. “Even if we expand to several locations, I’ll still be in there sweating with my clients,” he says. “As long as I’m breathing, I’m going to help as many as I can.”

If You’ve Just Been Diagnosed (Or Love Someone Who Has)

Start now. Ask questions. Visit. Feel what a customized, human-first plan can do for your life—physically and emotionally. Momentum builds confidence, and confidence changes everything.

Parkinson’s Fitness Center of Asheville (inside One of Asheville, Arden, NC)
Website: tru-fit.net
Email: kreigmarks@gmail.com
Phone: (828) 900-0541