June 17, 2009

June 15 marked the beginning of a new era in fitness and health in central Iowa with the opening of the YMCA Healthy Living Center on the Mercy Wellness Campus in Clive.

This unique partnership between Mercy Medical Center and the YMCA of Greater Des Moines integrates the medical expertise of Mercy health care providers with the proven fitness methods of the YMCA, resulting in an innovative facility dedicated to rehabilitation and wellness.

Unlike other YMCA branches in the metro area, the new Healthy Living Center does not offer swimming lessons, summer camps, youth sports or basketball courts. Instead, the facility features amenities directly related to health and fitness – including a Pilates studio, strength training area, lap pool, indoor track, cycling studio and therapy pool with an underwater treadmill. The Healthy Living Center also offers yoga and Tai Chi classes, sport-specific athlete development programs, prenatal and postpartum water fitness, childbirth education and more.

Anyone may join the Healthy Living Center as a member, but this YMCA branch has been designed to attract three groups of people with distinct needs. These include patients with rehabilitation needs or fitness goals who have been referred from local health care providers; employees of businesses in the surrounding area who purchase corporate memberships; and people who are looking to participate in wellness programs in a new, airy, state-of-the-art facility.

For more information about the Healthy Living Center or the YMCA of Greater Des Moines, please visit www.healthydm. com.