Virtua HealthFitness Center hosted a grand opening ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 12, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Although the 54,000 square foot facility opened in December and attracted more than 2,000 members, the grand opening’s program was to get more people in the community aware of the facility and its functions, HealthFitness Center Director Ayanna Lott said.
An Internet café, vir tú spa, four pools (including a 25-foot lap pool and a pool designed for aquatic activities), lockerrooms and a child care service make up the layout of the facility’s first floor.
The second level includes an indoor running and walking track, ellipticals, treadmills, bikes, free weights and other weight training equipment. The second floor also has a room designed for spinning classes with 20 spin bikes, a room designed for fast-paced workouts and another room for serene, calming workouts such as yoga.
“Seventy percent of diseases come from stress. We are all about the mind connecting to the body,” Lott said.
The center offers approximately 60 group classes with trained and certified staff members, HealthFitness spokesman Brian Griffin said.
The facility is designed to be a “healthy and comfortable environment,” he said, adding most facilities do not have trained staff like the HealthFitness Center to help guide members during workouts.
The highly trained staff “makes it a more comfortable atmosphere,” he said.
Fitness supervisor Nicole Briggs explained the free fitness assessment offered to new members.
There are two types of fitness assessments — fitness foundations assessment and functional assessment.
Fitness foundations assessment include a two-minute march test, eight foot up and go test (testing how fast can you walk around cones that are separated eight feet apart), a 30-second sit down test, 30-second arm curl test, a grip test and a flexibility test.
The foundations assessment is designed for a younger crowd and consists of a 12-minute treadmill test, a pushup test for muscular strength, sit and reach test for flexibility and a grip strength test.
Assessments are one hour long followed by scheduling an appointment for a 30-minute consultation.
The assessment helps determine a member’s starting point, Griffin said.
According to Griffin, after the assessment and consultation, members are given an exercise plan with their needs, goals and interests in mind.
Members will go for a reassessment and another evaluation.
Health education classes, personal trainers, sports performance training and other programs are offered at the facility.
According to Lott, each fitness specialist has a niche.
“Football is really my niche,” fitness specialist Matt Walker said.
Walker, a graduate from Wesley College, said he played football in college, tried out for NFC and AFC professional football teams, but never really had someone behind him to push him forward as an athlete.
To be a member of the HealthFitness Center, you must be older than 18. The average age of members is 55, but fitness specialists work with high school students in groups, Lott said.
He said he wants to help students coming out of high school and turn them into “next level athletes.”
With access to multiple fitness specialists, health consultants and exercise equipment, and more, the HealthFitness Center has plenty of information and tips needed to create a healthy lifestyle.
“It’s not just about exercise. [The HealthFitness Center] looks at health, fitness and wellness as an entire package,” Griffin said.
A special membership program is being offered until Jan. 31. The membership enrollment fee for an individual is $49 and for a couple is $99.
For more information on Virtua HealthFitness Center, call (855) 556–7575 or visit virtuafitness.org/moorestown/
To view a copy of the winter class schedule, download the printable version here. The facility also offers a childcare service, Kidz-In-Motion, for children ages 6 months to 11 years old. Parents can drop off their children for a maximum time of two hours for a fee.
