Jump Start Program
Center for Health and Wellness
Helping Those New To Exercise Learn How To Safely and Effectively Workout
Have you exercised before or has it been awhile since you’ve considered yourself active?
Are you unsure of what to do to get started?
The Jump Start program offers an introductory fitness class that focuses on learning the importance of exercise and how it relates to your overall health.
Offered by Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center and located at the Center for Health and Wellness at the Ambulatory Care Center, Jump Start is a very basic introduction to exercise class for people with little or no background in exercising. The aim is to get people comfortable with exercise and teach them how to do it properly in order to help manage a variety of health issues, from high blood pressure and high cholesterol to diabetes and weight control.
Groups, consisting of 12 participants or less, meet up to two times per week. Both in-person and virtual formats are available.Participants in small group training not only build confidence in exercise ability, but build strong and motivational relationships. Classes like those offered in the Jump Start program are a great way to commit to change. The focus is on functional exercise with a range of activities that include low- to high-level fitness goals, each based on participant needs. Both in-person and virtual sessions are led by an exercise physiologist who monitors all participants. Virtual sessions are done in the safety of your home using a computer or smart device. Exercise equipment is encouraged but the program does not require any specialized equipment other than a small space to move around in and a chair.
The exercise physiologists teach members how to exercise and use the equipment safely based on a participant’s limitations and issues. They find creative ways to adapt your fitness goals from simple to complex fitness needs. They also maintain an open dialogue with members to help them understand their bodies as well as why one needs to improve their fitness and health. After members complete the Jump Start program, they are then ready to move up to a more structured and advanced 12-week clinical prevention program to further improve their particular health issue.
The Jump Start classes offer:
- Flexible class times with rolling enrollment options
- Instruction provided by bachelors- and masters-prepared exercise physiologists
- Introduction to small group training
- Exercise programming that assists with decreasing risk factors for heart disease
- Preparation for the 12-week programming and disease modification-based classes
Areas of focus:
- Safe parameters for exercise, individualized for your needs
- Fitness goal setting
- Functional exercises to help with everyday activities
- Posture and core exercises
- Weight bearing strength training
- Cardiovascular health
- Balance
Criteria to join the Jump Start Program:
- Clearance from a referring, managing physician
- Completed pre-screening with our staff over the phone
- Confirmed eligibility for one of our 12-week programs
