Jefferson Healthcare’s Wellness Center provides exercise opportunities for adults of all abilities and ages. The best part is, these services are available to everyone — there’s no need for a prescription. Read on to learn how instructor Barbara Vane and others are building strength and community.
December 22, 2023
How do you build community? There’s not just one answer to this question, but Jefferson Healthcare’s exercise maestro, Barbara Vane, sure seems to have cracked the code. When you visit the Wellness Center, you don’t just see people exercising, you see people exercising together.
Vane is part of the team that runs Jefferson Healthcare’s Wellness Center. The organization’s exercise gym caters to adults of all fitness and experience levels. This means that if you sign up for a Wellness Center class, you may meet someone who is working to build strength and balance after undergoing surgery, but you’re just as likely to see people exercising vigorously and independently in a circuit training session.
What this means is that you get to choose the type of exercise experience you want and need: independent or guided by an instructor, gentle or vigorous, or somewhere in between.
“We’re a full studio that can address the needs of any participant,” says Mitzi Hazard, Jefferson Healthcare’s Director of Rehab, who oversees the Wellness Center. “No matter where you are in your fitness journey, we’re here to help you achieve your goals.”
For all the physical benefits of the Wellness Center’s classes, what’s most striking about them are the smiles. In Barbara Vane’s Low Impact Fitness class, participants challenge themselves with strength and balance exercises. All the while, Vane zips around the room, spotting people who need support and calling out instructions to keep the workout on track. The result is a well-paced, challenging experience that leaves everyone in the room laughing and smiling — and it also leaves everyone’s heart pumping. For people who want a facilitated exercise experience, these types of classes are ideal.
Vane understands that her work is important on multiple levels. “People have a hard time exercising on their own,” she says. Wellness Center classes help people regain mobility, add strength, and build endurance, but the social aspect is also critical. “During COVID, we all became so isolated,” says Vane, “and when people reserve a spot for a class, they show up, and they see other people showing up. And all of a sudden, you have a community of people.”
The physical benefits of the Wellness Center’s classes are clear, but the sense of connection they develop is also undeniable. What’s more, whether participants attend a class with an instructor or exercise independently with circuit training, the one thing everyone shares is a healthy sense of camaraderie. Given the way so many people struggle with loneliness today, it’s no wonder the Wellness Center is so popular.
Perhaps the best part about the Wellness Center is that any community member can attend classes — there’s no need for a prescription from your doctor, and you don’t have to be recovering from a medical issue to participate. What’s more, if you want to access the gym but don’t want to take a class, there are opportunities for independent exercise as well. In other words, the Wellness Center has something for everyone.
Classes and other wellness opportunities offered at the Wellness Center include:
Circuit Lite!
Gentle interval training. One-hour sessions utilizing cardio equipment and weights to improve strength and balance along with independent stretching at your own intensity. Suitable for anyone able to move independently.
Low Impact Fitness
Combines gentle movement, stretching, strengthening, and balance. Suitable for anyone able to move independently. Chairs are available.
Tai Ji Quan, Moving for Better Balance, Parts 1 and 2
An evidence-based fall prevention program designed for older adults at risk of falling and people with balance disorders.
The PWR! of Movement
An exercise class for people with Parkinson’s and other movement disorders. Classes taught by PWR!-certified instructors.
A Pillar of the CommunityVane has been teaching wellness classes in Port Townsend for nearly thirty years, and she is truly a master of her craft.
Vane shares that she became certified to teach exercise classes at age 40, and she’s continued to teach in the community ever since. She attributes her longevity to having a passion for working with adults and a desire to create empathy and safety. “I want people to be seen, to feel comfortable, and to feel safe,” she says.
Visit the Wellness Center page on the Jefferson Healthcare website to learn more about how we help people build strength, flexibility, and community.
