Hours of operation extended for Sparkman Wellness Center

Photo By Katherine Belcher | Effective July 7, hours of operation will extend from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday to get employees back into pre-quarantine shape.  

REDSTONE ARSENAL, AL, UNITED STATES

07.06.2021

Story by Katherine Belcher 

U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command

If the “19” in COVID-19 refers to the number of pounds you gained during the pandemic, then the Sparkman Wellness Center has good news for you! Effective July 7, hours of operation will extend from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday to get employees back into pre-quarantine shape.
It’s no secret physical activity improves physical and emotional wellbeing, but it also provides both immediate and long-term health benefits. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, immediate benefits include improved sleep, reduced anxiety and lower blood pressure. Long-term benefits include reduced risk of dementia; lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and eight types of cancer (bladder, breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, lung and stomach); improved bone strength; and improved balance and coordination, which reduce the risk of falls.
The Sparkman Wellness Center has a plethora of fitness equipment for beginners and experienced exercise enthusiasts. Before hopping on that exercise bike or treadmill for the first time, employees will need to sign a release and waiver of liability form and fill out the sign-in sheet at the front desk.
The center will be staffed between the hours of 5 a.m. and 3 p.m., and patrons who wish to use the facility between 3 and 7 p.m. can use their Common Access Card for entry. Patrons must have a signed waiver of liability form on file to use their CAC for entry after hours.
Carl Cooper, who manages the wellness center, said the number of employees using the facility has steadily increased since its soft reopening in March of this year. Like other facilities of its kind, the wellness center was closed during the pandemic as most employees were teleworking.
“Employees are returning to work and, as those numbers grow, we know more people will want to use the wellness center,” said Cooper. “Having this facility on-site is a real benefit to our employees, and we want to ensure everyone has access that accommodates their work schedule.”
Cooper said he also wants to remind employees that there is no cost to use the wellness center. “It’s free, free, free, and there’s no monthly membership charge!”
Wellness center staff are following COVID-19 health and safety protocols to keep patrons as safe as possible while implementing new rules impacting capacity, social distancing and cleanliness.
• Exercise bikes, treadmills and optical machines are spaced out so that every other piece of equipment is unavailable for use.
• If an area is enclosed with caution tape, only one person at a time is allowed to use that equipment.
• Lockers rooms are limited to six patrons at one time.
• Patrons are required to wipe down equipment after use.
• Maximum capacity for the workout room is six.
• Maximum capacity for the center as a whole is 30.

• Date Taken: 07.06.2021
• Date Posted: 07.14.2021 15:49
• Story ID: 400907
• Location: REDSTONE ARSENAL, AL, US