Salt Lake City, UT -- (ReleaseWire) -- 01/31/2021 --It's among the most typical New Year's Resolutions every year, but after spending 2020 feeling out of control and stuck at home while the world's health habits were under a microscope, it's little wonder the desire to move more and get healthy continue to be at the top of people's January 2021 lists.
"I think there's a realization that our health is really important," said Susan Jones, exercise specialist at the LiVe Well Center at Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital. "People want to have some kind of say in what they're doing and how they're feeling."
At the LiVe Well Center, a team of exercise specialists and registered dietitians are available to help people connect the dots, starting from the desire for better health and continuing through the process of goal setting, consistent follow-through and eventually achieving each person's goals.
"It's different than a traditional gym," Jones said. "All of the exercise specialists have a minimum of a bachelor's degree in exercise science and many have a master's degree. We are equipped to deal with any kind of special situation."
Often, it is those "special situations" that keep people from taking the first step toward a healthy lifestyle.
Whether the potential client feels so far out of shape that they can't imagine even getting started, or whether the process just seems overwhelming as a whole, Jones and her colleagues can break things down into more manageable tasks, explain the information in a way that makes sense and adapt exercise programs to any skill level.
The key is to remember that everyone can do something.
"Exercise is for everyone," Jones said. "We have people who can get on the ground and do pushups, but we also offer a full body workout from a seated position for people who need that adaptation. There is an offering for everyone."
Some of those offerings include balance assessments, body composition assessments, nutrition counseling, and a variety of fitness tests.
Participants can engage in small group classes or personal training sessions. They can even meet with the LiVe Well team for the assessments and then work out an exercise plan that they can take to another facility if that's where they prefer to workout.
In other words, it's less about where you exercise, and more about getting up and moving.
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, in order to receive the health benefits of exercise people need to be engaged in moderate intensity exercise for 150 minute per week. This could be a walk around the block for 30 minutes a day to get your heart rate up.
Jones said some people might not be up to that much exertion right away. If that's the case, start with something smaller and build up to the recommended goal.
Finding what you love is important in staying with an exercise program.
"I am one of those people who thinks everything looks fun, but I have a love/hate relationship with running," Jones said.
For her, strength training is key to staying motivated and in shape.
"Strength is often overlooked by people, but if you have to choose between cardio and strength, choose strength first," Jones said. "Yes, you want your heart rate to go up, but there is so much to be said for strength training."
No matter what you try, the point is: you have to try.
"Keep going. Keep trying," Jones said. "Anyone can improve how they're feeling. You can always feel better."
About Intermountain Healthcare
LiVe Well is part of Intermountain Healthcare, a not-for-profit system of 24 hospitals, 215 clinics, a Medical Group with 2,500 employed physicians and advanced practice clinicians, a health insurance company called SelectHealth, and other health services in Idaho, Utah, and Nevada. Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes and sustainable costs. For more information, see intermountainlive.org or Intermountain Healthcare.