By Mark Rountree
Everybody wants a good quality of life.
And Jeff Patterson believes an organized and dedicated physical workout program is a good way to achieve it.
“People want to feel good,’’ said Patterson, the wellness supervisor at Vital Signs Fitness Center. “There are so many benefits you get from exercising.’’
The fitness center, located at 2127 W. Willow Road (in Willow Plaza), features 50 pieces of exercise and weight lifting equipment.
The center is open seven days a week. Monday through Friday, the doors open at 5:30 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. On Saturday, the hours are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. On Sunday, the hours are noon to 5 p.m.
“For most people, it’s hard to be a self-starter,’’ said Patterson. “That’s where we come in and try to help them.’’
Patterson said the fitness center has a qualified staff of instructors to help members fulfill their workout needs.
“You need to know what kind of people you are working with,’’ he said. “We have licensed, certified instructors. The difference with us is our professionalism.’’
Personal, one-on-one training is available. The session can be booked for 30 minutes or an hour. Multi-session passes are available.
The fitness center also offers a wide range of classes, including yoga, step aerobics and Pilates.
“Most people will want to do different things,’’ said Patterson. “Your body will learn and adapt to just one exercise (program). It will get easy, and you’ll want to vary your workouts.’’
There also is fitness testing to measure body fat and flexibility.
“We have a fitness assessment to see what kind of shape people are in,’’ said Patterson. “It gives us an indication of what a person’s capabilities are. We sit down and talk about medications they might be taking, what kind of physical limitations they might have, their goals. Then we write an exercise program for them. We plan around what people can handle. Some people have only 40 minutes to work out, and we accommodate them. ... We can design a program around what people can do and what they desire to do.’’
An orientation class is offered to allow clients to become more aware of the fitness options and to better design an individual fitness program.
Vital Signs is a department of St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center. The Director of Physical Medicine is Vishal Saste.
Patterson said there are about 1,000 members using Vital Signs.
Memberships start at $385 per year. Memberships also are available for one month, three months and six months.
For more information, contact Vital Signs at 233-0181.
