fitness
Fitness
is
the
best
prevention
Local hospitals open gyms so patients don’t need to come back
W
hen you hear
the term “gym
rat,” you
probably don’t
picture some-
one who looks
like Al Flinn. But the 83-year-old
Livingston resident works out five
times per week, pulling down
weights and racking up miles on
the treadmill. “If I get out of there
in less than two hours, something’s
wrong,” he says.
Weighing in at 222 pounds when
he started working out, Flinn has
slowly lost 40 pounds, while at the
same time gaining something that’s
also beneficial to his health: A social
scene, where he can chat and relax
with other regulars.
Flinn had long been concerned
about his girth; what alerted him to
the lifestyle changes he could make
to help slim down was a newsletter
from St. Barnabas Medical Center,
now part of the RWJBarnabas Health
system. He visited his doctor there,
and after getting a clean bill of
32
MAY 2018 MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE
health, was directed to RWJBarnabas
Health’s Center for Health and
Wellness in Livingston, where
patients as well as community mem-
bers can get exercise under the watch
and care of physiologists, nutritionists
and other trained medical staff.
Gyms used to be places where
healthy people maintained their
fitness. But in recent years, hospital
networks are recognizing them as
places where patients can work out
to regain their health. The Center for
Health and Wellness offers approxi-
mately 350 members a “medical
wellness model” with access to exer-
cise specialists. “Many of them come
after graduating from cardiac rehab,
or they are MS [multiple sclerosis]
patients, or cancer center patients,”
says Diana Toto, the center’s director.
“It’s really a special gym. It’s a safer
environment because we work with
them based on their medical history.”
The Center for Health and
Wellness has traditional gym features,
including cardio equipment, standard
treadmills and ellipticals, and open
floor space for special coaching
programs for small groups. The
exercise specialists, however, have
bachelor’s or master’s degrees in
their field, and some have specialized
training to work with specific
populations, says Toto, though they
have been trained to work with any-
one with special needs. Nutritionists
WRITTEN BY MEGAN BURROW AND CINDY SCHWEICH HANDLER