The Body Shop at Breton Ridge: Combining Physical Wellness and Technology

When the Vibrant Living wellness model was established three and a half years ago, the team knew collaboration would be critical to creating the highest quality of life for residents—physically, spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, and socially—as this isn’t a goal we can achieve alone. This common goal is shared across all departments and entities at Holland Home.

Little did they know just how much the components of Vibrant Living would unite the different areas of the organization and truly create a wellness culture. It was this collaboration and culture that laid the foundation for the successful transformation of the fitness center, The Body Shop at Breton Ridge. Had that foundational goal and wellness culture not been established, such an amazing outcome would not have been achieved.

HUR: Designed for Seniors

The Vibrant Living Team makes it a priority to stay on top of current trends and research. When it comes to HUR, the leading supplier of strength training equipment and wellness solutions for seniors; the team did not come across any other equipment vendors that were so tailored to older adults. Alisha Van Epps, Fitness Manager at Holland Home also added, “We were impressed with the amount of research that showed how much the machines impacted balance and decreased risk of falls. The amount of educational support was also extremely appealing to our team.” 

Alisha went on to say how they also knew that with HUR’s technology-enabled equipment being designed specifically for older adults, it would combine components of Vibrant Living such as, Intellectual Discovery and Physical Wellness together—helping to meet multiple goals for the Vibrant Living program.

A Dream Realized

The Fitness Team dreamed about being able to slowly acquire some pieces of HUR equipment (piece by piece) over time. It was around this time that a resident, active with the Vibrant Living program, also recognized the need to update the space and equipment. Considering themselves a steward of God's resources, the resident felt called to support the project. Asking only that Nehemiah 8:10, “The joy of the Lord is my strength” be hung on a plaque at the entrance of the fitness center, the anonymous resident then donated the resources necessary for the Fitness Team to purchase brand new equipment from HUR. Not just one piece or a few, but ALL of the machines on the Fitness Team’s wishlist. From there, the Development Team partnered with the donor and collaborated with the Fitness Team to make it all a reality.

The Body Shop Open House

On Monday, January 20, the newly renovated Body Shop hosted an open house which included a healthy lunch, gave residents a chance to hear from the Fitness Team about the new equipment, and sign up for one-on-one orientations. HUR CEO, Robert J. McGuffin, was also in attendance for the exciting unveiling and to talk to residents about HUR.

Upon having an orientation, residents receive a fob that will sync with the machines to track their individual workouts and progress. The fob also automates things such as resistance and seat settings. If something such as resistance is added during a workout, the fob will allow the machine to remember those changes for the next workout.

Residents have been incredibly receptive to the new hi-tech equipment and the Fitness Team expressed how fun it has been to see the residents learn new things and step outside of their comfort zone a little. Once they get a chance to see how the technology can help them track progress, take out the guess-work, and help them make adjustments and improvements based on their fitness goals; they’re so impressed.