Tabata class at Fauquier Health (Courtesy of Go Fauquier)

The Fauquier Health System offers a full-service fitness center open to the public. This wellness center has more than 30 group exercise classes each week, including Zumba, Pilates, yoga, body sculpting and more, as well as water exercise classes at the Fauquier Health Rehabilitation & Nursing Center. Unlike traditional gyms, staff members at Fauquier Health are degreed and certified by national organizations like the American College of Sports Medicine, National Strength and Conditioning Association and other reputable organizations—they know their stuff. This is helpful because members work personally with staff members. Upon joining, each member receives a one-on-one consultation with an exercise physiologist to determine a plan tailored to his or her specific goals and fitness level.

Along with typical gym amenities, Fauquier Health gives members access to a multidisciplinary team of registered nurses, a respiratory therapist, physical therapist, registered dietitians and certified diabetes educators. Many programs offered are covered by insurance, making this hospital-run facility even more affordable.

The Fauquier Health program began in 1999 as a cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation and physical therapy program and has continued to grow since. According to Robin Earl, public relations specialist for Fauquier Health, the program provided a place for patients to continue their health journey. “Exercise and education are the best forms of medicine for chronic diseases such as heart disease, lung disease, diabetes and arthritis,” she says. “As a health care facility, we are perfectly situated to help individuals maintain or improve their health in a variety of ways.”

Fauquier Wellness Center member Chip Hann agrees that this hospital-run gym offers more than traditional fitness centers. “I joined the Wellness Center in December 2011 after a visit in response to their offering cholesterol tests to the general public. This, actually, is one of the reasons I like hospital-run gyms over commercial ones; it seems to me that they do things the typical gym does not,” he says. “The membership includes periodic reviews of health status and progress toward your set goals. I’m of the belief that the hospital-run facility is more about overall fitness—proper diet, mental fitness, stress reduction, smoking cessation, et cetera—than simple bodybuilding.”

(August 2015)