Liz Unruh (Host): Hello listeners and thanks for tuning in to the Well Within Reach podcast brought to you by Riverside HealthCare. I'm your host, Liz Unruh, and joining me today is Nicole Kilpatrick, who is a Medical Integration Manager at the Riverside Health Fitness Center. Thanks for joining us today.

Nicole Kilpatrick: Thank you for having me.

Host: So we're going to be talking a little bit about the relatively new program at the fitness center, MyFitRx, but before we get into that, can you tell us a little bit about yourself, Nicole?

Nicole Kilpatrick: Yeah, so I studied at Ball State University. So I got my bachelor's degree there studying exercise science, and then I also minored in gerontology. So, I really chose that route because I enjoy being active myself, and it was a way that I could help other people be active and be confident with that activity. So in the summer of 2019, I joined Riverside Health Fitness Center and grown into the position of Medical Integration Manager. So basically what that means is that I help make sure that we're providing the community with programs that align with what the Riverside Health Care needs for the community.

Host: Yeah, that's great. So this just rolls straight into the MyFitRx program. Can you tell us, what exactly that program is?

Nicole Kilpatrick: Yeah, so MyFitRx is a program at Riverside Health Fitness Center. It's an eight week program, so it does require that healthcare provider referral. So with it, your provider will refer you into one of 10 different pathways. So each pathway determines what education material and exercises we recommend, but it's still going to be customizable to that individual. So a quick overview of the appointments within the program, is we always start off with a pre assessment, so we review that referral, health history, and then we also get our own baseline measurements.

With all that information, you'll get a customized exercise plan. So a fitness specialist will go out onto the gym floor with you and show you some exercises to get started with. Um, from there, you're going to have two, one hour supervised exercise sessions each week. And then with it, you'll also have full membership access to our Riverside Health Fitness Center, so including the pool and all of the group exercise classes.

At the end of the program, you'll do a post assessment so that we could see how we did through the program. And you'll get a summary report of your time here at Riverside Health Fitness Center that you can provide back to your referring provider. And at the end, too, we'll also waive that enrollment fee as a little congratulations for completing the eight week program.

Host: Yeah, I know a lot of people have the issue, they want to go to the gym. They want to get better. But where do I start? There's all these machines. Yeah,

Nicole Kilpatrick: Yeah. Yeah, everything. It can be a scary process for someone that's new to the fitness world or never really stepped into that facility or environment. So having that support system of there are fitness specialists going to be checking in with me. I'm not alone. It's really helpful.

Host: Yeah, for sure. And it sounds like, so there's ten different tracks or programs you can kind of, is the jumping off point. So obviously there's going to be a lot of different people that would probably qualify, but is there an ideal candidate?

Nicole Kilpatrick: So there's no one ideal person that's going to be the complete package for the program, but it's designed for those that have a medical condition that they're monitoring. So they would like a little extra supervision while they're there and get that support from that trained exercise specialist.

Or it's like we just talked about someone brand new to the fitness world who would like that accountability and someone to kind of help guide them into the facility. So it's a nice transition from not getting activity in to getting activity and then transitioning into the gym on their own.

Liz Unruh (Host): Yeah. I think that's a really, really great way to jump in and start knowing what types of exercises would be helpful for the type of medical condition that you have is definitely really important.

You don't want to, hurt any muscles or overdo it. You want to start off in things that would be good for your skill level. So, as part of your role is making sure that the community has things that are good for the community, for lack of a better phrase. Why is this program such a great fit in this area?

Nicole Kilpatrick: So, within the program, too, we have a lot of goals of, you know, we talked about building up that confidence level and increasing that physical activity. But also, you have access to our degreed fitness specialists. All of our fitness specialists that work with MyFitRX, they have their bachelor's degree in exercise science.

They're certified in personal training, and a lot of us do have specialty certifications too to work with specialized populations. So just being in that environment where, you know, they can be comfortable knowing that we can help them. My biggest goal too, is that I want to make sure that people come into the program and they're, they're building their confidence level because the more confident and comfortable they are coming into the facility, the better off that they're going to be.

And I may be biased too, but I know that Riverside Health Fitness Center is such a friendly community. I go there and one member will stop me and be, have you seen so and so lately? And I'm like, I don't know, I can't tell you where they're at or what's going on, but they're fine. So they're a great support system within themselves, too.

Host: Yeah, that's always great to have that community sense within a gym. I know you think, oh, I'm joining a fitness center, I'm not going to know anybody, but chances are you probably know somebody.

Nicole Kilpatrick: You probably know someone. It's a small town feel here. So you'll most likely have a friend that's already there. That will be encouraging you.

Host: Yeah, that's great. So, on the flip sides, we talked about why it's good for the community. Why would it be good for a provider to refer into the program?

Nicole Kilpatrick: Yeah, so another one of our goals is to improve ADLs. So, activity of daily living. We want to make sure that the exercises we're providing are going to translate into everyday life. So, is doing the leg press, is it going to help with being more mobile, stairs, kind of things like that. We also want to reduce the need for patients returning for the same thing. So we don't want them to have to continuously use the same going back for physical therapy, cardiac rehab, things like that.

So if we can reduce that by introducing them to a healthier lifestyle, that's going to be huge. Another thing too is we want to keep patients engaged within the Riverside Healthcare Continuum and support Riverside. If a participant tells me, hey, I'm having issues with this, I could be hey, did you reach out to so and so within Riverside?

So it's a nice little referring back into.

Host: Yeah the continuum for sure, because we have so many of those services here in town that you don't have to go out of town. We can probably take care of your issue here. I think that's a great network to have and knowing that you can, that you guys at the fitness center do talk to your participants and say, oh, maybe you need to talk to this person or talk to your provider.

I think that's really beneficial. Just time for a quick break.

For 25 years, the Riverside Health Fitness Center has helped residents of the Kankakee area achieve their fitness goals. The Riverside Health Fitness Center is a medically based facility deploying the highest standards to help participants manage and prevent chronic conditions through physical activity, nutrition, and health education to enhance their quality of life.

Make Riverside Health Fitness Center your fitness center. Learn more about what Riverside Health Fitness Center has to offer by visiting riversidehealthfitness.com.

And we're back. So now that we've talked about why is this such a great program and who would be a candidate, let's talk a little bit more about the program itself. What would one of the sessions kind of look like?

Nicole Kilpatrick: So our supervised group sessions, each participant has them twice a week that we're going to schedule out that works best for their schedule. So just a quick layout. When they come into their supervised group sessions, they're grabbing their exercise card that they worked on with that initial fitness specialist when they came in, and it has all of their exercises laid out onto it. So from there, a fitness specialist is going to check in with them. It's most likely going to be myself. So what I do is I check in with each individual, see how it's going, what questions do they have, any exercises or machines that they're struggling with, or is there anything that they're wanting to learn.

So , each day during a group session, I may see a participant and they're cruising through an exercise and we need to make it more challenging for them. Or on the flip side I may see that we're struggling with something, so we need to modify it so that it'll work better for them. So usually they see me coming and they go, uh oh, what am I doing? Don't make it harder. And I'm like, no, no, it'll be good.

Host: I think that's a great, great support in the fitness realm having someone that's kind of watching out for you and saying, okay, maybe it's time to kick it up or okay, maybe this isn't working. Definitely to have that support. So as they're going through the program, the MyFitRx program, what are some kind of expected outcomes or like, what are you looking for?

Nicole Kilpatrick: So all in all, my big goal that I have is we want to lay down that foundation of healthy habits. In the grand scheme of things, eight weeks is a short amount of time. But we have seen improvements overall in increased strength and endurance and body composition as well. It's going to be individualized as well, so, you know, like we talked about, it's not a cookie cutter program, it's not one fits all.

Someone may come in with the goal of I want to get on a consistent schedule of exercising. So, that's their goal, we're going to set it up for them to be that way. Some, it may be weight loss, it may be I need increased endurance or strength. So, it's going to be different for each person. We discuss that with them in the program.

Host: Yeah, I think that's good because, like you said, there really is no cookie cutter, one, one fit answer for every single person. Something that would be good for you might not work for me. So I think that's really the great part about this program. It's so tailorable to each individual while still achieving moving towards a healthier lifestyle.

Yeah. Which is always a great, great goal. Just knowing this program has been going on for a little bit, can you share any type of success stories that you've seen?

Nicole Kilpatrick: Yeah, I have a few that comes to mind. We talked about confidence quite a bit. We have a lot of people that come in and being, I don't want to go on the strength floor. I'd rather be tucked away here. I don't have, I don't want people watching me or this and that, but just seeing their confidence to use the strength equipment and then that ability to ask for help when needed as well. I had a individual in the weight management pathway. And she lost 30 pounds. So I'm super proud of her for staying consistent.

And again, this isn't cookie cutter. One person's results aren't going to be the next person's. She was super excited with that too. And with all of it, we complete assessments at the beginning, end of MyFitRx to get an idea of strength endurance with push up test, crunch test, and a wall sit and a grip strength test as well.

So in 2023 looking back at the outcomes, our averages for push ups was increased by five, our crunch test was increased by six, wall sit was increased by seven seconds, and then our grip strength throughout the program increased by two kilograms, which is almost five pounds. Some people too, it's just how do I get in that activity?

So they'll come in saying that they're currently doing zero minutes of dedicated exercise each week. Typically across the board, we want to get around 150 minutes of exercise each week. So to have that person at the end say, I was super consistent and I'm coming into the facility four times a week. I'm doing stuff on the weekends to getting over that 150 too is awesome. You know, I'm super happy every single time they complete the program because they get a little graduation slip and we have them pose for their graduation photos. So just seeing that wall grow has been really fun to see.

Host: Yeah, I'm sure that's really rewarding. I can just think all those things are like, oh, it only takes this many things to make a habit. I'm sure in eight weeks that a lot of people are making habits that lead towards that healthier lifestyle for sure. If someone likes all this information that they're hearing and they want to see if their doctor can get them a referral or whatever, what would, what would they have to do to get a referral into the program?

Nicole Kilpatrick: Yeah, I'd recommend coming, obviously, speak with your health care provider first to make sure that you're in a good place to exercise and that the program is right for you. You can always come into the fitness facility for a tour. We'll always accept tours so that you can see what it looks like there.

And we can also help you in taking the next steps to seek out that referral. Your provider can either fax a referral to us at 815-929-1300. Or again, when you come in for that tour, we can help seek out that referral.

Host: Yeah, that's great information. Is there anything else that you'd like to add?

Nicole Kilpatrick: Yeah, so MyFitRx, the program for eight weeks is normally $99, but in March, we're offering a promotion at Riverside Health Fitness Center. So MyFitRx will be $74 for the eight weeks in March.

Host: Yeah, so that's a great deal. In 2024, get your life on track here.

Nicole Kilpatrick: I know, it's a good time to get going.

Host: Yeah, for sure. Thanks so much for joining us today, Nicole, and thank you for tuning into the Well Within Reach podcast with Nicole Kilpatrick, who is the Medical Integration Manager at the Riverside Health Fitness Center, and your host, Liz Unruh.

To learn more and to make the Riverside Health Fitness Center your fitness center, visit riversidehealthfitness.com.