History 

Community Fitness began in 1998 as an extension of cardiac rehabilitation. The program has evolved to provide support to anyone desiring to include exercise in their normal routine. Since the program’s beginning, it has helped hundreds of people with a wide variety of physical issues including muscle weakness, inflexibility, lack of endurance, arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, heart disease, depression, etc.

Mission

Our mission is to help improve health and wellness in the Chippewa Valley by providing an inclusive and supportive exercise environment for adults who are physically out of shape or desire more structure in their workout efforts. We aim to get you feeling better, stronger, and more energetic. We want you to want to exercise with us. 

Who is it for? 

Participation is open to any adult who wants to learn how to make exercise a regular part of their lifestyle. This may include adults who have completed rehabilitation but do not feel ready to exercise on their own or anyone needing a structured exercise program with group support to begin the process of improving their health.

Because this is not a medical facility, those who are at high risk for cardiovascular incidents will first be referred to their physician or a hospital-based program to obtain medical clearance before participation can begin. 

Community Fitness medical clearance form

About the program 

Participants work with students majoring in the Kinesiology rehabilitation science program. Participants are paired with a primary student; typically there are 2-3 participants working with each student. This student will determine each participant's cardiovascular risk level, exercise/health history and goals. 

Then the student will perform assessments to establish starting strength, flexibility, cardiovascular endurance, body composition, heart rate, blood pressure, and may or may not also include blood sugar or cholesterol levels screening. Based on all these factors, the student will design an individualized exercise program, teach all the exercises, and review program progress periodically. The fitness programs are intended to be sensible, safe, and enjoyable.

At the end of each semester students will repeat the assessments to measure changes in health/fitness levels.

Dates & Hours:

Community Fitness meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the following semesters:

• Spring: February-May, 5:30-7:30am
• Summer: June-August, 7:30-9:30am (Time may vary slightly.) 
• Fall: September-December, 5:30-7:30am 
• Winter: January, 7:30-9:30am (Time may vary slightly.)

Location and Parking:

The Community Fitness Program is located inside McPhee-Olson Complex on UWEC’s upper campus. This building features an indoor track, outdoor track when weather permitting, gym, private yoga/dance room, indoor pool, weight room, and locker rooms. The weight room features free weights, various weight machines, cable machines, stationary bikes, treadmills, and cross-trainers. Students also teach group exercise classes including power & agility, balance, core and stretching.

Those who purchase parking passes are welcome to utilize the McPhee and Murray Lots located on UWEC campus during Community Fitness hours. Otherwise, the next closest is CVTC pay lot located just across the street from the McPhee building.

Cost: 

$120 per semester Spring/Summer/Fall sessions, Winter is $35 due to the shortened session time. *There is an additional cost for parking passes. Many insurances will reimburse your membership costs, be sure to check with them. All fees are subject to change.

Registration:

Registration is online via a Qualtrics link which is available 2-3 weeks prior to the beginning of the program each semester. If you are interested in joining us, please contact us via email or phone and we will include you in our email list.

Community Fitness Health History form

Community Fitness consent form