The Medical Fitness Difference
The biggest difference between a medical fitness center and another type of gym or fitness facility is that the medical fitness center focuses on overall health and wellness and is a recognized part of the healthcare continuum of care. At the Wellness Institute, we help people manage their health by preventing and treating disease, illness, and injury through regular participation in physical activity, disease management, and health education.
As a certified medical fitness center, our programs and services are evidence-based and we are integrated with Seven Oaks Hospital. Whether participating in a program of visiting as a member, our professionals provide oversight and help ensure that you are meeting your health and fitness goals safely and effectively. This makes our facility a place where both healthy people and people with multiple health risks can feel safe and comfortable working on their health and wellbeing.
We are also a hub for clinical innovation. Through our campus partnership with the Chronic Disease Innovation Centre (CDIC), we ensure that every program we offer is built on best practices and rigorous evidence. By linking facility data with health outcomes, we turn research into real-world results for our members.
Exercise as Medicine
There is a growing mountain of evidence that physical activity is key to the prevention and treatment of disease, illness, and injury, slowing the progression of chronic disease, aiding in the recovery from illness or injury, and building strength and endurance for healthier aging.
With a foundation of “exercise is medicine,” we use physical activity as a treatment prescription, connecting therapy and physical fitness with lifestyle.
The Medical Fitness difference includes:
- Professional staff, including registered nurses, registered dietitians, licensed physical therapists, certified exercise specialists, and certified personal trainers.
- Clinical integration with Seven Oaks Hospital and the broader health system.
- High level of cleanliness, maintenance, and capital improvement
- Specialized health and wellness programs that promote a healthy lifestyle
- Improved outcomes for members/patients with chronic diseases and multiple risk factors
- Medical oversight of programming and policies
- Programs and services to meet the needs of an aging population and special needs groups.
- Personalized approach to exercise assessment and exercise prescription
- The highest standards for safety – explicitly designed as a medical fitness facility, the Wellness Institute was built for safety, and, as part of Seven Oaks Hospital, we comply with the rigorous certification standards of the Medical Fitness Association.
For more information, visit our clinical programs and wellness clinic pages.
Who Benefits from a Medical Fitness Center?
While anyone can benefit from an evidence-based approach to exercise, medical fitness centers are particularly beneficial to those with pre-existing health conditions, like diabetes or heart disease. Medical oversight ensures that participants can safely pursue fitness and positive lifestyle changes while living with these conditions.
Medical fitness centers are also ideal for people who have no history of exercise, who have been inactive for a long time or who are returning to exercise after injury. Our personalized approach to exercise assessment and prescription helps people take their first steps toward an active lifestyle.
The Wellness Institute is a safe and welcoming space for anyone who need help with:
- establishing an exercise routine
- medical exercise services
- medical weight management
- nutrition support
- cardiac rehabilitation
- pulmonary rehabilitation
- ortho rehab
- arthritis
- neuro-fit
- cancer rehabilitation