Top
Home
Trainer of 'Biggest Loser' contestant
EMH Health and Fitness Center
1997 Healthways Dr., Avon, OH 44011
Exciting and innovative, the new 60,000-square-foot EMH Center for Health and Fitness in Avon stands as the premier medically based health and fitness facility in Northeast Ohio.
The center boasts a wide range of fitness equipment and interactive programming to meet the specific needs and ability level of each member.
For more information, call the business office at (440) 988-6800, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Top
Home
NEWS ARTICLE from The Morning Journal, 8-5-05, by SCOT ALLYN, Morning Journal Writer
``AVON -- Officials at EMH Regional Medical Center yesterday showed off the finished product of the new Avon Emergency Care Center, drawing praise from some for the new ''super facility.''
EMH Regional is constructing the facility next to its Center for Health & Fitness at 1997 Healthway Drive. Dr. Dan Walsh, director of emergency services for the hospital, said he will be working the first shift at the center and is looking forward to the Aug. 22 opening. ''I can't wait for opening day,'' he said.
Walsh said he personally designed many of the features, including details of the floor plans for treatment rooms. Many of the treatment rooms differ in size and shape, depending on their functions. Two large resuscitation rooms allow for the bulky equipment needed to start a heart. The clinical decision unit, or CDU, has rooms with windows for patients staying 12 to 24 hours.
''They may have asthma or chest pains and are not sick enough to be admitted to a hospital bed, but not ready to go home,'' Walsh said. ''They can stay here while we observe them,'' he said.
Visitors may be surprised by the sheer size of the facility, which will have 18 treatment rooms, X-ray facilities, a lab, CT scanning and an MRI room, but Wayne Kipp, vice president of business development and marketing for EMH, said the center's size is important ...
Kipp said 200,000 residents are within a 15-minute drive of the center, which is just a few minutes off Interstate 90 at the SR 83 interchange.
Avon Mayor Jim Smith, who called the new center a ''super facility,'' said growth brings added traffic, which can slow down trips to emergency rooms outside Avon.
''With this facility you'll be able to get to an ER within minutes of your home,'' he said.
Ambulances will enter a sheltered area, which will be heated in the winter and air-conditioned in the summer. A helicopter landing pad will facilitate fast trips for patients in critical condition ...
Walsh said he met with fire chiefs in the area to get their input on his plans for the new emergency room.
In a nod to modern concerns for terrorist acts, Walsh said the emergency care center also features spigots for several showers along one wall of the ambulance area for ''mass decontamination in the event of any terrorist acts, chemical spills or high levels of exposure to radioactivity.''...''
Top
Home
FEATURE ARTICLE from The Chronicle-Telegram, 1-14-08, by Lisa Roberson
 |
| EMH personal trainer Jermaine Alexander is the hometown personal trainer to ousted season five contestant Lynn Westphal; photo from the The Chronicle-Telegram, 1-14-08 |
Trainer of 'Biggest Loser' contestant practices what he preaches
``AVON -- He's not Bob Harper or Jillian Michaels, helping overweight Americans lose weight in front of millions of viewers on NBC's reality show 'The Biggest Loser,' but EMH personal trainer Jermaine Alexander is changing lives with his own personal wellness tips.
And as the hometown personal trainer to ousted season five contestant Lynn Westphal, Alexander said the heat is on to prove he knows what he's talking about while also ensuring Westphal loses big come this April when he returns for the show's grand season finale and vies for $100,000.
Westphal has said he chose the EMH Center for Health & Fitness to continue his weight loss efforts because it offers state-of-the-art equipment and amenities such as a pool and indoor track. But he also learned the staff was made up of dedicated fitness fanatics who were more than willing to whip him into shape ...
Alexander's workout regiment for Westphal is not easy. It's a cross-training program that has him switching between free weights and cardio machines for 60 minutes two to three times a week. But if Westphal sticks with it, Alexander is confident his client reach his target weight of 250 pounds. Westphal, 60, once topped out at 409 pounds.
"This is about consistency," he said. "If you do the work, then the payoff will be that the weight will come off." Alexander knows what he is talking about. He has been a personal trainer for 10 years, a profession he chose years ago when he topped out at more than 200 pounds and struggled to get the extra weight off.
"The hardest thing for me to do was to get down to a comfortable weight," Alexander said. "That's when I knew I wanted to help other people with their weight."
So, he set off on a weight-loss journey that did not include diet pills, shakes or so-called magic potions. Instead, he upped his personal workout routine and changed his diet to include more fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats and whole grains. It wasn't easy, as his family was known to dish out a heaping spoonful of temptation, he said.
But in the end it has paid off. Alexander said he is now 168 pounds. His weight drops down to about 152 pounds when he is in competitive body building ...
"I'm not the kind of person that pushes my lifestyle on other people," he said. "I just let them see what it has done for me and let them decide for themselves."''
Top
Home
NEWS ARTICLE from The Chronicle-Telegram, 9-1-08, by Alison Dietz
``Weight loss program enlightens dieters
AVON -- EMH Regional Healthcare System wants people to forget about fad diets, which go out of style as fast as dieters gain back the weight. Instead, it is offering people the chance to enlighten themselves with a long-term alternative.
'Enlighten' is a six-month, medically based program for weight loss. Participants attend weekly meetings with professionals, including registered dieticians, physicians, nurse practitioners, mental health specialists and certified fitness specialists.
It's not a program for those wishing to lose five pounds; participants must have 30 pounds or more to lose, or have a body mass index of at least 30, which places them in the 'obese' category.
Enlighten is similar to a lot of other weight loss programs but has an advantage with its roster of medical professionals, said Jan Biedenbach, member service manager at the EMH Center for Health and Fitness [in Avon] ...
Members have the option of requesting meal replacement supplements or working with a dietician to create healthy meals at home. They can also choose from activities offered by Enlighten.
In addition to eating healthier, there's something else members must do: "You do have to work out," Biedenbach said. A membership to the [Avon] EMH fitness center comes with participation in the program.
Participants are expected to work out four times per week while losing weight, and there are plenty of options for doing so.
Enlighten offers group training sessions with a personal trainer. The routine changes every week, and members also have access to all of the fitness center's programs, such as spinning and Pilates. The program accepts new members every week, and each person follows his or her own path to fitness ...
Thirty-one people have signed up for Enlighten so far this year. Last year, 53 people went through the program, losing an average of 30 to 35 pounds, according to Biedenbach ...
The program doesn't end after six months. Participants have a follow-up meeting to see where they want to go next, whether that's maintaining the current weight or losing more.
Participants are invited to keep coming to the weekly meetings, as well. "We want to see how they've done after a year," Biedenbach said.''
Contact Alison Dietz at adietz@chroniclet.com.
Top
Home
What's New