If we learned anything over the past couple of years it’s this: getting healthy and staying healthy is lifesaving…literally. The medical and fitness communities knew this long before the pandemic hit, but this has never been clearer for the general population. The unfortunate reality is that the general fitness industry is serving about 20 percent of the population. And, for the most part, this 20 percent were already healthy, athletic and fit. This leaves us with 80 percent who may be deconditioned or have health risk factors, chronic diseases, and multiple co-morbidities. All of the factors that made the pandemic even more dangerous.

The medical fitness model, when implemented well, provides a huge opportunity to reach those who need this path to a healthier lifestyle. This model includes, but not limited to, active medical oversight, qualified and credentialed staff, disease management programming, clinical integration, individualized exercise prescription and more. Medical fitness focuses on improving the health of communities and providing a safe place for those who are facing health risk factors to regain their health and vitality.

“At the Medical Fitness Association, we have seen not only an increase in the number of medical fitness facilities but a growing interest on the part of commercial fitness centers to expand their healthy lifestyle offerings,” said David Flench, CEO and President of the Medical Fitness Association (MFA).

Earlier this year, MFA brought together an impressive group of fitness industry and medical fitness professionals to draft MFA’s “Standards and Guidelines for Medical Fitness Center Facilities-Third Edition.” Now available through the MFA website at medicalfitness.org, the purpose of this publication is to define what is meant by the medical fitness difference and to provide basic parameters for the sensible operation of a medically integrated center.

Alan Loyd, Executive Director at Beacon Health & Fitness of the Beacon Health System in South Bend, IN, was the Editor for the “Standards and Guidelines” publication. We reached out to Alan for this article and here is what he had to say about medical fitness: “Medical fitness is many things, and one of its most important roles can be as a bridge to healthcare more broadly.  Connecting members who don’t have a primary care physician, which we know can lead to better outcomes over time. Linking clinical services such as physical therapy and sports medicine to fitness members, creating synergies in care. It’s about more than just providing outstanding clinical care and fitness services. The goal is to make one plus one equal three.”

The original book, “The Medical Fitness Model: Facility Standards and Guidelines” was published in 2006. The original purpose of the publication was to provide a resource to facility managers and directors and establish standards for facility program recognition. From this publication, MFA developed a Facility Certification program that includes onsite examination and documented evidence of compliance with the standards.

“I personally used these standards and guidelines as a roadmap to attain MFA Facility Certification multiple times during my 20-plus years managing medical fitness centers,” added Flench. “That lead to our health and wellness centers becoming an integrated component of the hospital system, offering seamless transitions from clinical healthcare services into medical fitness programming and ongoing prevention and wellness activities.”

While the third edition of the “Standards & Guidelines” publication is a fantastic resource, of course, for fitness facilities pursuing MFA Facility Certification, it’s really more than that. It is a roadmap for fitness facilities that are committed to quality and safety. Ultimately, the goal is to build and strengthen that path to a healthier lifestyle so that it is accessible to everyone.