A snapshot of the schedule

Communication is paramount to successfully spreading the word and maintaining interest in fitness. Information about schedules and new activities and stories about successes of participants and other role models are prominently displayed near the pool, gym, locker rooms, and waiting areas.

Updated schedules are posted and e-mailed monthly. Each scheduled session of water aerobics, from Core Conditioning to Fibro Wave, Back Blast, Splash, and Cardio Conditioning, is rated so participants can identify a program based on personal needs and abilities.

• * Easy
• ** Moderate
• *** Intense
• **** Very Intense

Most classes are scheduled in close succession from light to moderate to more strenuous, allowing people to stay for several sessions as desired without long breaks in between.

Classes follow the Arthritis Foundation curriculum, which focuses on flexibility and movement exercises for joint problems, post-surgical recovery, and chronic conditions such as Parkinson's disease, arthritis, spinal stenosis, etc. Instructor training sessions for certification have also been conducted at UAMS to train more trainers.

In addition to the comprehensive schedule, there is plenty of open time for participants to swim or walk on a specially designed walking track that borders the entire inside perimeter of the pool. Individual exercise programs are always close at hand. One octogenarian comes at 7 a.m. daily to swim laps for an hour every morning, something he says gets him up and keeps him going all day.

All participants at UAMS, patients, family members, employees and members of the community, have a wide variety of options. Adjoining the Spine Institute is the Reynolds Institute on Aging, which houses a resource library, cafeteria, and a fitness center that offers: K photo of exercisers at Reynolds Inst.

• individualized fitness programs
• use of machines and weights
• a full workout circuit
• Tai Chi, Core Conditioning, and other classes
• scheduled time on exercise bikes, treadmills, and fitness equipment

Irma signing the guest book

Participant members sign in, maintain their individualized exercise profiles, and have access to free parking using the token system. The staff facilitates classes daily and is also available by appointment for individual programs.

Outcomes are evident when you talk with program participants who speak volumes about the benefit of exercise and how it affects their lives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Irma in Tai Chi class

Irma is a renowned lace maker who continues sharing her craft through writing and lecturing. She started coming to UAMS with her husband after he had a stroke. She enjoyed Tai Chi and the fitness center so much she continues regularly, even though he no longer needs therapy.

 

 

 

Liz on exerciser machine

Liz says she hated the idea of exercise and had reached a plateau after extensive therapy following a serious accident. Several years later, the director challenged her to try the fitness program. With some reluctance, Liz accepted the challenge. Liz became a motivated achiever who works out at the fitness center several times a week.

 

Picture of Olivia

85-year-old Olivia brings a personal assistant to help her make her daily trips to the pool. She knows it was the water that made the difference in her rehabilitation following a stroke two years ago. After conventional therapy for almost a year, Olivia told her doctor she was "going crazy." She asked him for a referral to water therapy in a pool, something which she had done for most of her life.

After returning to the pool, Olivia progressed from almost complete dependence to only needing a wheelchair assistant to enter and leave the pool, to walking independently in and out of the pool using handrails.

 

Liz & Lucy

Lucy comes with her daughter-in-law Liz, who was injured in an accident several years ago. She knows that water was the best therapy for healing her fractured pelvis, back, and ribs. "Entering a pool for the first time was the beginning of the end of walkers, crutches, and a cane ..." and she has not stopped coming since.

 

Picture of Bill

William, age 83, is a regular at the pool. He recovered from a total hip replacement and now is totally independent in all activities. The only time he misses aqua aerobics is to keep a date playing golf with his buddies.

 

 

 

 

Tony began water therapy 6 years ago at another hospital when he had serious back problems. When Kellie became director at UAMS Fitness Program, Tony followed. Eventually, Tony brought his wife, now a regular at core conditioning class.

The benefits of programs such as UAMS go beyond fitness to social and emotional support ongoing among participants. There are always conversations about how people and their families are doing since their last visit, surgery, or vacation. People care about each other and look forward to getting out each day, especially through the dreary days of winter. There is also the social aspect of working out together, friendly competition, and sharing lunch after class.

Developing health and wellness programs, a senior fitness center, and comprehensive recreational activities that operate in the mainstream ultimately improves the quality of life for individuals and the community

Specific benefits to participants in health and wellness programs include:

• promoting fitness and independence
• improving general health and quality of life
• reducing secondary conditions brought on by inactivity/immobility
• eliminating access barriers and the stigma of being "different"
• reducing isolation and depression through socialization
• decreasing health care cost