Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health.

Exercise helps prevent and improve a number of health problems:

• high blood pressure
• diabetes
• arthritis
• reduce anxiety
• improve your mood

Exercise doesn’t have to mean running laps around the gym. It can include running, lifting weights, playing basketball and other activities that get your heart pumping. But you can also get exercise washing your car, raking leaves or walking around your neighborhood.

Exercise can help you:

• Lower your cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure and risk or severity of diabetes and colon cancer.
• Stronger bones. Studies show that strenuous physical activity dramatically lowers the risk of bone loss and hip fractures.
• Weight loss. The more regularly you work out, the more weight you’ll lose and the fitter – and healthier – you’ll become.
• A longer life.  Whatever exercise you do (running, biking, basketball, baseball, soccer, even walking) will help lower your risk of developing potentially life-threatening cardiovascular disease.
• Gain confidence. Meeting exercise goals, even small ones, can boost your self-confidence. Getting in shape can also make you feel better about your appearance.
• Take your mind off worries. Exercise can take you away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed anxiety and depression.
• Get more social interaction. By exercising, you can often meet and socialize with others. Just exchanging a friendly smile or greeting as you walk around your neighborhood can help your mood.
• Cope in a healthy way. Doing something positive to manage anxiety or depression is a healthy coping strategy. Trying to make yourself feel better by drinking alcohol, thinking about how badly you feel, or hoping depression will go away on its own can make things worse.

Hurley Health and Fitness Center (HHFC)

The area’s only medically-based health and fitness facility, Hurley Health and Fitness Center offers advanced exercise technology, an experienced team of fitness professionals, and most importantly, access to specialists from Hurley’s full range of medical practices, including cardiology, orthopedics, and rehabilitation sciences. To help you get fit and lose weight, over 60 group exercise classes a week are available, as well as one-on-one sessions with a personal trainer. The Olympic-size pool is also an excellent way to tone and strengthen your body as well as lose weight.

To help the mid-Michigan community stay healthy in their jobs, HHFC brings its services and messages about good health out of the Center and into the workplace through its Corporate Wellness Program.  Hundreds of businesses throughout the region have benefited from our Corporate Wellness programs, including the government, school systems, banks, and executive offices of major corporations.

For more information, call (810) 262-2200 or visit the Hurley Health and Fitness Center website.

HHFC also provides the following medically-based exercise programs:

• Diabetes Education & Exercise Program (DEEP)
• Bariatric Education & Exercise Program (BEEP)
• Water Exercise for Arthritis (certified through the Arthritis Foundation)
• Pulmonary Rehab Phase II and III
• Cardiac Rehab Phase III
• SportsCare (physical therapy)

Value Added Services (FREE with membership):

• Over 50 group exercise classes per week (Zumba, yoga, spinning, aquatics, aerobics)
• Child Care (6 months-10 years)
• Family Day (Sundays 2-5pm)
• 2 Personal Training sessions upon joining
• Free locker/towel service