"And the Winner Is ... You!"

By Tamela Thomas, Wellness Manager

The second best part of my job is talking to members—finding out what their needs and concerns are. The best part of my job is designing and implementing programs that meet those needs and have a positive impact on their lives. One such program resulting from member input is called Fit 4 Life. The target group of this program is members who have never worked out in the their lives or who have been on "the sidelines" for a while. This program began just one year ago and has had some terrific results. I thought it might be time to share some of those results with you.

What do a housewife, a refrigeration contractor and a retired librarian have in common? They are all participants in the Fit 4 Life program. Although each came from a different background, they all had a common goal—to get back into shape and into a more physically active lifestyle. Fit 4 Life was just the ticket to accomplish their goal.

What is Fit 4 Life?

It is a 10-week, multidisciplinary approach to improve the "fitness challenged" member's quality of life. It incorporates exercise, education, nutrition and behavioral modification in a safe, non-intimidating, fully supervised, fun, results-oriented environment. Fit 4 Life is about maximizing health and well-being.

Since its inception last year, more than 90 members have participated in either the Fit 4 Life initial program or the follow-up program. Although they meet only twice a week, these members achieved excellent results.

The strength of the program comes from 3 key areas: Exercise, Education and Motivation.

Exercise

The exercise component is structured to increase in length as participants' endurance improves over the course of 10 weeks. A complete orientation to each piece of equipment, from treadmills to recumbent bikes, makes Fit 4 Lifers comfortable in the fitness areas. The Fit 4 Life coaches have professional training and experience, ensuring they challenge their groups without exhausting them. The variety of equipment and facilities available at the WAC provides a bountiful atmosphere to broaden the group's experiences and enjoyment. Beyond the cardio and weight training, each class includes some kind of activity. This activity section of the program can range from a back care class, to V-bike, yoga, basketball drills or an agility course—the idea here is to make sure participants are experiencing a variety of movement and challenges.

Education

Beyond what is taught by the exercise coaches, WAC Nutritionist Shana Hopkins focuses on improving overall health of participants in her lecture series. Shana also meets one-on-one with each member to review their food diary. She is able to identify 2 or 3 areas that need improvement. After establishing a goal toward that end, participants will meet again with Shana toward the end of the course to review their progress.

Motivation

Certainly consistent exercise has its own intrinsic rewards, but for those in the Fit 4 Life program there is another very powerful force at work. Each grouping of Fit 4 Life participants is the result of fitness compatibility testing.

So, from the first day of class each person knows that fellow participants are already on the same fitness level as they are. This subtle fact encourages all of the positive forces that can develop from a group dynamic, while preventing the negative influences such as feeling like you must prove something or feeling like you are being held back. The groups are comprised of 10 or less members, allowing for supportive relationships to develop among the participants.

Beyond the daily motivation of meeting with your group, having fun together, and feeling better, participants can also expect to improve on several strength, flexibility, agility and functional performance tests. In addition, each member receives a 25-chemistry panel blood work-up at the beginning and end of the program. The resulting data along with their health history lifestyle information are compiled to produce the Fit 4 Life Health Index ratings. Here too, members can see positive results from the program.

If you have been thinking of "finally doing something," you might want to come join us for the next Fit 4 Life session. Call today—we'll make it easy for you to become Fit 4 Life. For more information or referrals, please contact Tamela Thomas, Wellness Manager, 206.464.4639.