Whether you need to drop a few pounds, tone up muscle, or modify your diet, and daily routine, Health for Life can improve your life in 2017. A popular wellness program offered through Ashtabula County Medical Center, Health for Life is a 12-week wellness education program led by health and fitness professionals of ACMC and the community.
This program is intended to introduce participants to a new, healthy lifestyle through educational classes and attendance at area fitness facilities.
“We realize that not everyone needs to lose weight, but we can all benefit from living a healthier lifestyle and learning to move our bodies more,” said June Penniman, ACMC Director of Wellness Initiatives. “The program is about learning tips and techniques to become healthy for life. We offer Health for Life right after the holidays because the start of the new year is when many people make resolutions to live a healthier lifestyle, but they often don’t know where or how to start on their own.”
The cost is only $20 and sign-ups began Monday, January 2. This program is limited to 150 participants.
During the 12 weeks, participants attend educational sessions which are held the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at noon and again at 6 p.m. The first educational meeting is Wednesday, January 11 at 2211 Lake Avenue, next door to Premiere Fitness.
ACMC dietitian Sandy Pitorak will be the first speaker, discussing nutrition, which is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle.
Breakout sessions will follow the presentation. These sessions will provide extra information about the partnering facilities and focus on other related topics such as what to expect from an exercise program and workout demonstrations. Participants will also be weighed at these sessions.
“We want to make this as convenient as possible for people, so we offer lunch time and evening class sessions,” said Penniman. “We have program members who bring family and friends for support and encouragement. The ‘buddy system’ is very popular with our group because they can encourage one another and hold each other accountable.”
Participants also receive free passes to nine area fitness centers to exercise and take a variety of classes during the three-month program. The variety of free passes encourages members to find a fitness center which works for them and where they feel comfortable working out.
Health for Life participants receive
- 6 Free Premiere Fitness passes. Health for Life participants can join Premiere for $20 per month during the program
- 6 Free Ashtabula County YMCA passes
- 6 Free SPIRE passes plus 3 Free passes to Striders Walking Program (See SPIRE for more details)
- 3 Free Passes to the Jefferson Community Center
- 6 Free passes to The Chalk Box
- 3 Free passes to Great Lakes Ashtanga Yoga
- 3 Free passes to Conneaut Arts Center dance classes
- 3 Free passes to Transformation Station
- 2 Free passes to the Yoga House
- Cooking tips
- Nutrition education
- Prizes for participation and healthy weight loss.
These include cash prizes for Healthy Weight Loss (as determined by regular weigh-ins at ACMC Rehabilitation Services or Premiere Fitness). Other prizes include memberships to Premiere Fitness, the Ashtabula County YMCA, and SPIRE
Weigh-ins began January 2 at Premiere Fitness or ACMC’s Outpatient Rehabilitation Services Department. Registration will continue until Feb. 1. The program runs through March.
Complete program information for Health for Life can be picked up at ACMC Rehabilitation Services or Premiere Fitness. You can also register at www.acmchealth.org by clicking Sign Up for Events. For more information, call 998-3488.