Seniors - The Wellness Center of Saratoga

Since exercise is crucial for healthy living at any age and any level of health, the Wellness Center of Saratoga offers a unique exercise venue for those who need a more intimate setting and a little extra support.

The Wellness Center offers Cardiac Rehabilitation and Wellness Programs for heart health and preventative medicine.

Cardiac rehab is essential for patients recovering from a heart event. Through a rehab program, patients learn how to resume a normal lifestyle while reducing the progression of heart disease.

Cardiac Rehabilitation typically lasts about 12 weeks, and requires a physician referral for participation. Throughout the program, individuals will engage in exercise sessions, while physicians and exercise physiologists monitor their heart rate and rhythm and blood pressure.

Patients in the Cardiac Rehabilitation program are encouraged to continue exercising upon graduating from rehab. 

According to Dr. Roland T. Phillips of Saratoga Cardiology Associates, heart patients can be intimidated by a regular gym setting or feel uncomfortable exercising without a physician in arm's reach. These individuals need a place to exercise that fits their specific needs, making it easier to continue exercising for a healthier lifestyle.

For this reason, heart patients at Cardiology Associates are encouraged to continue their healthful mission in the Wellness Center, a recently renovated facility that provides all the comforts of cardiac rehab without a required physician's referral.

At the Wellness Center, heart patients can continue the recovery process and engage in ongoing education about their health and risk factors. 

The Wellness Center recently underwent rehab of its own. The facility was redesigned, transforming its original two story ceilinged-space with an open feel, to a cozy single level space. Although the Center's square footage decreased, the facility still houses the same equipment to service the same number of members but with a few extra perks.

There is a comfortable coffee station and sitting area inside the heart healthy exercise room. Members can sit at a table and play cards or relax, making their healthy experience less tedious and more social.

"The renovations made the Center feel homier. Individuals know and feel that they are within hand's reach of an exercise physiologist, a doctor or a friend," Dr. Phillips said.

Dr. Phillips understands that heart patients need a venue for support to help them engage in heart healthy activities to prevent a second heart event. 

"Prevention, in all honesty, has to be the name of the game," Dr. Phillips said.

According to Dr. Phillips, there are two types of prevention: Secondary, which prevents a second event, and Primary, which avoids the first. Individuals who have not experienced a heart attack can still reduce their risk factors and chances of having a cardiac event by learning about their health.

Cardiology Associates of Saratoga encourages everyone to practice preventative medicine, which is why the Wellness Center is also open to the community. Anyone can become a member, even if they are not a heart patient. 

Members range in age from 30 to 96 and vary in their exercise abilities, but every member at the Center shares the same goal: to improve their health.

For Maryanne Cornell, exercise physiologist at the Wellness Center, the atmosphere plays a big role in encouraging members to engage in healthy activities. 

"You get more out of exercise if you feel safe, and members here have a whole medical practice right in their back pocket," Cornell said.

Cornell also emphasizes the importance of education and knowledge in any individual's wellness program.

"We work with members one-on-one to set up a personalized program. By engaging in a constant dialogue, members improve their outcome; they become a partner in their health care. And the education is constant here, it's on the floor. Members talk about their experience, and they can see the effectiveness in each other," Cornell said.

Members who haven't experienced a heart event can engage in dialogue with someone who has, therefore encouraging them to take care of themselves and continue with preventative medicine.

The Wellness Center also offers smoking cessation classes, dietary counseling, yoga classes for beginners and veterans, and blood pressure and cholesterol monitoring.

Exercise is key in a long term health plan. Not every post -rehab heart patient or health- seeking individual needs a gym setting but, for those who want one, the Wellness Center is available.

"Some people are self-motivated and can exercise on their own, but some need motivation from others doing the same thing. Whatever venue works for you is what works; the best exercise is the exercise you do," Dr. Phillips said.

To learn more about the Wellness Center, or to become a member call (518) 583-6821, or visit the facility, which is located at Suite 202, 6 Care Lane in Saratoga Springs.