<strong>Hospital will have open house this Monday afternoon</strong>
<div></div>
LifeFit Wellness Center, Beaufort Memorial’s medically supervised exercise facility, will host an open house this Monday, May 20, offering the public the chance to check out its upgraded quarters in the new Beaufort Memorial Medical &amp; Administrative Center on Ribaut Road.

During the open house, guests also will have the opportunity to check out the hospital’s cardio/pulmonary and outpatient rehabilitation, which shares space with LifeFit in the building’s first floor. Services include everything from physical, occupational and speech therapy to pre- and post-surgery rehab.

[caption id="attachment_11195" align="alignleft" width="300"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Health-BMACfrontexterior.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-11195" alt="The new LifeFit Wellness Center is located across from the hospital on Ribaut Road." src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Health-BMACfrontexterior-300x181.jpg" width="300" height="181" /></a> The new LifeFit Wellness Center is located across from the hospital on Ribaut Road.[/caption]

Relocated from Beaufort Medical Plaza to the new health care complex across the street from the main hospital campus, the wellness center has been expanded by 70 percent, taking up most of the first floor of the four-story building. It will feature some of the latest strength-training and cardio workout equipment, more exercise classes and a spa-like massage room.

“We’ve gone from a cramped 10,000 square feet to a very roomy 17,000 square feet,” said LifeFit Senior Director Mark Senn. “It has allowed us to expand our exercise options and have a bigger group exercise room.”

The new exercise studio is nearly double the size of the old 700-square-foot classroom. With the additional space, there is now room for 12 stationary bicycles that will be used for spin classes. Along with the cycling workout, several other group exercise classes have been added to the schedule, including yoga and step aerobics.

New cardio and strength-training equipment also was purchased, offering members more choices to trim down and tone up. Among the state-of-the-art machines are two virtual cycling trainers.

“If you’d rather work out on your own or there isn’t a spin class going on when you’re at the gym, you can hop on one of the e-Spinners,” said Kim Yawn, supervisor of the LifeFit Wellness program. “Instead of a live instructor, you follow the trainer on the screen.”

The cycles and other exercise equipment were purchased with funds raised by Beaufort Memorial Hospital Foundation’s 2013 Valentine Ball.

“We’ve also got a very nice massage room” Yawn added. “You can get Swedish and Deep Swedish massages, and we’re now offering hot stone massages as well.”

But it’s the individualized health services provided by medical professionals that makes LifeFit Wellness Center so unique.

New members are assigned a case manager or wellness coach who evaluates their health status. The clinically based fitness assessment includes a review of their medical history and cholesterol and blood pressure checks.

Based on the evaluation, the case manager develops a therapeutic action plan with specific recommendations for cardiovascular and resistance training as well as lifestyle changes. Members are re-assessed regularly to ensure they are making progress and achieving their goals. The progress reports are shared with the member’s primary care physician as part of their continuum of care.

“Our job is to help people stay healthy and reduce their risk for chronic disease,” Senn said. “That can involve everything from nutrition and exercise to smoking cessation and stress management.”

LifeFit will be offering a number of specials in celebration of their new opening, including savings on membership fees, personal training packages and massages. Complimentary guest passes will be available for those who would like to tryout the new facility before joining.

LifeFit services include a diabetes center, asthma management program, support groups, inexpensive cardio vascular screenings and personal training.

Outpatient and cardio/pulmonary rehabilitation also has been relocated to the first floor of the new building. Here, patients can have physical, occupational and speech therapy, neurological rehab and swallowing and voice therapies, among others.

The third and fourth floor of the new building, known as BMAC, will house more than two dozen of the hospital’s administrative departments. The second floor is being reserved for future physician offices.

“While health care funding is being cut, we still have to address the critical needs of the community,” said BMH President and CEO Rick Toomey. “This new building will be an asset for 30 or 40 years.”

LifeFit will be closed Friday, May 17 through Monday, May 20 in order to move into the new facility, and will reopen Tuesday, May 21 at 5:30 a.m. To learn more about LifeFit services, call (843) 522-5635 or visit bmhsc.org.