HealthWorks Fitness Center celebrated its 20th anniversary on Tuesday, highlighting the two decades that have passed since the YMCA transitioned to SHARE Foundation ownership and all the changes that have come in that time.
"We continue to invest in this facility... A lot of time, energy and effort is put into this facility," said SHARE Foundation President Dr. Brian Jones. "We appreciate the team and we appreciate everybody who utilizes this facility."
The gym was open to the community all day yesterday, and visitors were greeted with cake and punch by the Juice Bar. But HealthWorks' real benefits stretch throughout the 50,000 square-foot facility, Jones, General Manager Holly Wood and Member Services Director Janie Ward explained.
"HealthWorks plays a huge role in the community as far as offering them a sense of community and a place to be, a place to feel comfortable with their workout and focusing on their health -- their mental health as well as their physical health," Ward said.
When the YMCA first became HealthWorks 20 years ago, the facility underwent a $5.4 million expansion and renovation, and the improvements continue 20 years later.
This year, the SHARE Foundation invested $60,000 in new strength and conditioning equipment, and Jones said another $60,000 is earmarked for new cardio equipment next year, along with $60,000 more in 2024, the specific use of which is yet to be determined.
"So a total of $180,000 invested over three years," Wood said.
And small changes also help improve members' experiences.
"When I first started 10 months ago -- and it was on (members' minds) years prior to me being here -- members had been asking for swimsuit dryers, which seems like such a small thing, but it's a huge convenience to our members when they're leaving," Wood said. "So we're investing in swimsuit dryers, we're looking at getting some automated water machines on the second floor... They seem like small things but they make a big difference for the people here, so we're trying to find those little convenience factors for the people who come."
But convenience and profit aren't HealthWorks' primary purpose -- fitness is. Jones noted that the SHARE Foundation's mission is to promote and improve community health, and that is the what all the work that has gone into the gym is aimed toward.
"Our mission is about health and wellness and this very much fits that. I think, also, what's really critical about this facility is that it's a 50,000 square foot fitness and aquatics center in a town of 18,000 people and it helps attract physicians to move here, people at Murphy USA to move here, people at the different ... plants, because people want to know there's a sense of recreation and we are a recreation place that's open all year-round," Jones said. "There's always HealthWorks... It's very much a community gathering place."
"We partner with UAMS and a lot of other organizations to spread the gospel of health and wellness in our community, he continued.
One partnership that has been particularly beneficial for the community has been the one HealthWorks has with the South Arkansas Center on Aging, Ward said. Several of the group fitness classes offered at the gym are specifically targeted to the senior population, and through the Center on Aging, HealthWorks is able to offer Drums Alive and Tai Chi for free to the community.
"All our classes are accessible to anyone," said Rhonda Sayers, group fitness coordinator. "All our instructors teach to the class, so when they get in there with their class of the day, they scan who all's there and if everyone seems to be intermediate-level, they teach that."
Rock Steady Boxing, a routine designed for people with Parkinson's disease, is also offered at HealthWorks and has helped those suffering from the nervous system disorder, Jones said.
"We have a number of people here in our community who have Parkinson's disease that were traveling to Ruston because that was the only place that was offering the Rock Steady Boxing, and you know, it's difficult for those people to travel to begin with, so when we initiated that here, it was a huge, huge, huge thing for our community, for those members and their caregivers to participate in," Jones said.
Not all the classes are geared toward seniors, though. Wood and Jones said it's important to them to update the gym's group fitness schedule regularly to keep members engaged.
"I think we're constantly trying to be innovative in reinventing ourselves and not being stagnant. Holly and her team are always trying to come up with what's cutting edge," Jones said. "Even though we may be a small, rural town, we want a fitness center that's thinking big city stuff. We're always trying to be ahead of the game with things that we offer and things we do for our members."
And for those who prefer solitary workouts, the third-floor of HealthWorks is outfitted with all kinds of equipment -- everything from an Olympic lifting platform and indoor walking track to a total body resistance (TRX) training area and row after row of stair-climbers, exercise bikes and weight machines.
Next month, HealthWorks will roll out a new app for members to help them keep track of their goals, fitness milestones they reach and group fitness schedules and other upcoming events at the gym. The gym's website, healthworksfitnesscenter.com, also includes a schedule, along with membership information and a full accounting of all the facility's offerings.
"It's high time to think about joining," Jones said Tuesday afternoon. "We like to think we're the premier place in El Dorado for people to come for fitness."
A HealthWorks member utilizes the facility's heated lazy river to work out on Tuesday afternoon, when the gym celebrated its 20th anniversary in the community. (Caitlan Butler/News-Times)
Boxing equipment decorated for Halloween is seen in one of HealthWorks Fitness Center's multiple workout studios. The gym celebrated its 20th anniversary in the community on Tuesday. (Caitlan Butler/News-Times)