Explore Your Path to Fitness

We’ll help you get on the trail to better health

You might enjoy riding bikes with your family; your colleague might prefer exercising to a DVD at home. Fact is any exercise is good. “The important thing is to make exercise a part of your day,” says John Graham, director of community and corporate fitness. “You should do 30 minutes of continuous exercise five to six days a week.”

To help you meet your goals, Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network offers many programs that are either free or reimbursed through Culture of Wellness. Here are some of the newest programs and events tailor-made for you.

Hit the Trail
While some people walk through malls for exercise, 92-year-old Frank Ferris prefers walking around LVH–Cedar Crest. For the past 12 years, he’s enjoyed a daily cup of coffee and a few round trips from the main lobby to the Jaindl Pavilion steps. “With the Kasych Pavilion open, I now walk to the convenience store,” he says. His son-in-law, cardiologist Stephen Olex, D.O., suggested Ferris start moving. “I used to have pain when I walked, but not anymore,” Ferris says.

For community members like Ferris, patients and visitors, we recently created indoor walking trails starting from the main lobby to different campus destinations. Some include steps for added exercise. To request a walking trails map, call 610-402-CARE.

Compete in the Lehigh Valley Hospital Marathon for Via
Challenge yourself on Sept. 7 with a 26.2-mile race (sponsored by Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network) from Allentown to Easton while helping a good cause. “It’s a natural fit for the network to support this healthy event,” says communications director Lisa Walkiewicz of Via, an organization that helps people with disabilities. Molly Sebastian, R.N. (right), vice president, patient care services, has competed in seven marathons and will run this one too. Not up to running the whole distance? Form a relay team with four colleagues. Each leg ranges from 4.1 to 6.1 miles. Walkers can participate in a 6-mile race. Hospital colleagues receive a 15 percent discount on registration. To learn more, call 610-402-CARE.

Want to Compete for Free? The hospital will sponsor three individual runners and five relay teams (five people each). Click here and tell us why you deserve one of the spots. Teams should provide one entry each. The best entries will be selected, and the hospital will pay for registration. Entries are due by April 30.

Get on the Move
Looking for a fun way to improve your health and compete with your colleagues? Join Communities on the Move. For every minute of physical activity (for example, swimming, golfing or gardening), you’ll earn one “step.” Participate in any fitness or educational program listed in Healthy You magazine (May 15-Sept. 20) and earn “bonus steps.” Track your progress online to see how you rate against the competition. Last year, the Valley Preferred team (left) captured one of the top honors. This year, the competition is individual. To participate or learn more, call 610-402-CARE or click here.

Join a Medical-Based Fitness Center
If you’re looking for a more structured routine like a core-strengthening class (right), join the Healthy You Fitness Centers (including the newly opened LVH–Muhlenberg facility) or the Human Performance Center. All are reimbursable through Culture of Wellness. The centers provide fitness assessments and customized workout routines that change every 12 weeks. “Variety keeps your muscles challenged and your mind engaged so you keep exercising,” John Graham says. To learn more about these facilities and the benefits of medical fitness, call 610-402-CARE or click here.

A Super Effort
When a power outage recently hit the Healthy You Fitness Center—Cedar Crest, John Graham (second from left) and colleagues sprang to action. They encouraged people to keep exercising under the glow of emergency lights while exercise physiologist Erin Kisling (far left) told ghost stories to her class.

They also helped a woman trapped in an elevator. Member service assistant Linda Reisteter (far right) called security and rushed to the woman’s aid with Graham and exercise physiologist Joel Shucavage (second from right). When Graham learned the woman had heart problems, he used the elevator key to manually open the door. The elevator stopped above their floor, but with Shucavage’s help, the woman jumped to safety unharmed. “We worked together to keep everyone safe and calm,” Graham says.

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