Did you know that exercise also plays a strong role in lowering your cancer risk?  Taking part in physical activity is one of the most important things that you can do for your health, according to the most recent government guidelines. Physical activity and cancer: six research findings you need to know.    Activity lowers the […]

Hear from member Ashley Bass as she talks about her experience with Carle Health & Fitness Center.  This is “not your typical weight loss success story.”  Ashley walks us through her history with giving up on fitness, purchasing gym memberships that went unused and touring out other centers that were not the right fit.  A […]

As a medically-integrated health and fitness center, we are well-positioned to live life alongside coronavirus.  We continue to rely on local health experts to ensure that we are providing the safest, healthiest options for our members during this time. Jeffrey Hoschek, M.D. Dr. Jeffrey Hoschek is an Internist at Medical Hills Internists in Bloomington, IL […]

Carle Health & Fitness Center is committed to putting the health and safety of our community first by keeping our members and employees safe. Your investment in your health is even more important in times such as these.  We are ready to support your wellness journey by providing the cleanest, safest facility for members and […]

Join us for March Member Madness We’re celebrating current members and new members all month long! Here are just some of the fun things happening in March… March Member Referral Contest – Refer a friend to join in March for your chance to win a $100 Ancho & Agave Gift Card. Your friends will benefit […]

Vicki Tilton, a downtown Bloomington business owner, volunteer and community supporter, was honored Saturday with the Legacy of Excellence award from the McLean County Chamber of Commerce. The chamber also honored Brandt, Community Health Care Clinic, Justin M. Boyd, Advocate BroMenn Health and Fitness Center and Corn Belt Energy Corp…

Bill Flick, The Pantagraph, October 13, 2019 Along with husband Don, Sharon Maupin for 16 years ran the popular Maupin’s Market in Saybrook. After selling it to explore other ventures, the Maupins moved around — to Decatur, to Peoria, to Eureka, even Rochester, N.Y., — before moving to Normal seven years ago to be nearer […]

I’ll admit that when I first started hearing about meditation I was a little skeptical. The images that came to my mind were ones of a person sitting cross-legged on the floor thinking about nothing for hours at a time, and I thought to myself “There’s no way I can do that”. Fast forward to […]

BLOOMINGTON — More than 100 volunteers spent the week getting ready to help Bloomington-Normal students gear up for the school year. At this year’s annual Back 2 School Alliance Party, organizers will give away close to 3,000 backpacks filled with new school supplies to students from McLean County Unit 5 and Bloomington District 87 schools. Supplies […]

We know that exercise is good for us, so why is it so hard to do it sometimes? I’ve had numerous people tell me that they just don’t like to exercise and it isn’t fun for them. First, let me dispel the myth that you’re alone if you feel this way. You’re not! For many […]

Imagine that one of your friends called you feeling bad about themselves because they hadn’t been able to make it to the gym as much as they had planned. Would you tell them that they’re a failure and they might as well give up now because they’ll never reach their goal? Absolutely not! But how […]

As I talk to people who are interested in improving their health and wellbeing, I’ve noticed there is a common thread that hold many of us back. We feel the need to prove, to either ourselves or others that we can be successful, and if we don’t reach our intended level of success, we feel […]

May is National Employee Health and Fitness Month. Since many of us spend a good deal of time at work, here are a few ways you can incorporate healthier habits while you’re in the office. Try some of these on your own or encourage coworkers to join you! Move around and stretch. You may have […]

One of the biggest obstacles I hear my health coaching clients mention is that it is hard to find time to take care of themselves. We all want to accomplish everything that makes us a good spouse, parent, friend, coworker, caregiver, etc. but it’s easy to let these roles overshadow our own needs. When we […]

When you think of the word “self-care”, what do you picture? Do you see delicious treats, bubble baths, massages or other indulgences that are often portrayed on social media? Things that seem like more of a reward than an everyday part of life? While self-care can certainly involve these things, it seems to have taken […]

As we start getting closer to warmer weather, many people use this transition as a time to deep clean, reduce clutter, and take stock of what they have. It can also be a great time to reflect on your habits and how they’re supporting your overall health and wellness. Once you have established a healthy […]

The beginning of a new year can be an exciting time. We start the year feeling motivated about all the big changes we’ll make in the coming months. However, many of us finding that motivation fading by the end of February. I truly believe that one of the biggest reasons we don’t keep these resolutions […]

The holidays can be both a joyful and a stressful time. We often rush right through the month of December going to parties, work events, family gatherings, and more. Before we know it, it’s the beginning of a new year. This year, take time to slow down, live in the moment and really enjoy the […]

Do you suffer from chronic back or neck pain? What about problems due to poor posture, high stress or anxiety? If so, the Alexander Technique (AT) may provide just the natural relief you’re looking for…

n innovative McLean County private-public partnership to help people with developmental and intellectual disabilities to achieve their health and fitness goals has exceeded expectations, so the program will…

The mind is a powerful thing with the ability to shape how we perceive the world. But can our perceptions impact our own health? Research into mindset, which is often called “the story we tell ourselves”, suggests that it is definitely possible. Here are a few examples…

When Julie Warner of Normal was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) at age 25, “I was terrified that I’d end up in a wheelchair. “So I started walking,” When Josie Warren was diagnosed with MS at age 34…

Sometimes, exercise benefits the heart beyond making it stronger. Just ask eight adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities who worked out Tuesday with guest trainers…

An innovative private-public partnership to improve the health and fitness of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities and their support…

The Advocate BroMenn Health & Fitness Center is not just another gym. Far from it. Instead of focusing solely on how many reps or miles or laps you…

Sue Mullins and Karen Bennett lunged back and forth, stepped side to side, rotated their hips, bounced up and down and pulled their arms up and back. Then they did squats, bridges (lying down and raising their hips), knee raises, modified push-ups and modified planks. But, as they did these and other exercises under the direction of Stephanie Kates, all three women had a small exercise ball between their legs just above the knees. A band wrapped around the ball also was wrapped around the outside of the women’s legs.

Exercise programs for people with disabilities are nothing new.
But a new, medically supervised pilot program targets a group of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. After one year, program partners — the McLean County Health Department, Advocate BroMenn Health & Fitness Center and Marcfirst — will analyze each participant’s health and fitness data to determine whether to continue the program and perhaps expand it.

Forty-one McLean County residents with developmental disabilities have an opportunity to improve their health because of an innovative partnership of the McLean County Health Department, Advocate BroMenn Health and Fitness Center and Marcfirst.

Rock Steady Boxing began a month ago at the Advocate BroMenn fitness center in the Center for Integrated Wellness and already averages seven participants each class, said Smeltzer, a veteran Bloomington-Normal exercise physiologist who is fitness center manager and a certified Rock Steady Boxing instructor.