Expanding the idea of healthy living
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Where can you enjoy smoky broccoli frittata in a Participation Kitchen, work in some hot yoga, look inside yourself in a Presence Room, learn resiliency practices, fine-tune your power skating technique, and tune up your golf swing … all in one location? How about just up the steps at the Dan Abraham Healthy Living Center (floors 3-7, to be exact), in the new Healthy Living Program space and Sports Medicine Center in Rochester.
The two new spaces are getting ready for a "soft opening" this month, followed by, we assume, a less pliable opening this summer. Earlier this week, we were able to horn in on a media tour that offered a first look at the new spaces -- just ahead of the public open house, where you can experience it all for yourself, this Saturday, May 3, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The tour started at the top, relatively speaking, in the lobby and main entrance for the Healthy Living Program, which occupies floors 4 through 7. In the elegant lobby on floor 6, we learned about a "destination experience," the Healthy Living Plan, where participants can get "a comprehensive wellness experience tailored to their individual goals." And if a la carte is more your thing, there are wellness services available (you guessed it) on an a la carte basis to patients, visitors and the public. The Healthy Living Program is a "different model," designed to help people adopt "healthy behavioral changes" in diet, exercise and stress management to improve their quality of life. That behavioral change idea would be a recurring theme, because, as Donald Hensrud, M.D., medical director, says, "It's putting it into practice that's so difficult."
We then happily made our way to the Participation Kitchen, to get the true flavor of the space. (Get it?) There, we learned about how nutritionists will lead participants in preparing meals designed to complement a busy lifestyle. Healthy meals. Like that smoky broccoli frittata we got to sample. From there, we briefly found ourselves in the Presence Room, broke a sweat in one of two Mind Body Studios while observing some warm yoga, contemplated the "living wall" on the 7th floor, and learned about the moving educational sessions offered in the NEAT Room, where participants will explore the benefits of activity throughout the day while keeping pace on treadmill desks. And there's much more.
Next, we came back to the Sports Medicine Center on floor 3, where athletes, from the professional ones to aspiring professionals and even weekend warriors, can come to up their game, train or rehab from injury. There's space for hockey (complete with artificial ice and a skating treadmill), basketball, football, baseball, golf, and general strength and endurance training. There's also a nutrition bar where a sports dietitian can whip you up a pre-workout shooter or post-workout recovery smoothie designed for your specific needs.
We can't do justice to the facilities and expansive program offerings in this small space, but we encourage you to learn more about the Healthy Living Program here and the Sports Medicine Center here. And then come out and see them for yourself at the open house on May 3. Then be sure to share your impressions here.