Bertram said she came up with the idea for the gym many years before starting the nonprofit, because she saw a need for it. She runs The NeuroFit Gym with Colleen Schuster.
“I thought there had to be something, so I started to research it, and there’s really nothing. There are a few different outpatient physical therapy clinics in hospital settings that have what they call a wellness program, which is very expensive, typically, and there’s not enough time, and it’s not usually run by educated, experienced therapists,” she said.
The NeuroFit Gym is available to clients with any neurological disorder. Common neurological disorders include Parkinson’s Disease, stroke patients, spinal cord injuries, Multiple Sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS), Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
“As an experienced therapist, working in the neurological world, exercise is very important for anybody that has a neurological disorder. Research shows that you need 150 minutes a week of moderate to high-intensity exercise. With that being said, that is something that’s very hard to do if you have lower extremities that don’t work, or if you have one side of your body that doesn’t work,” she said.
“With Colleen and I being PTs we set ourselves apart because we know how the brain works, and we know how the body works, and we also are able to adapt and come up with ways to get that cardio component of what everybody with a neurological disorder needs,” Bertram said.
She said getting to know the clients, and understanding the various neurological disorders, gives them a broader understanding of what factors might impact a person, or what they need on a daily, biweekly or triweekly basis.
“The cardio aspect, or the moderate to high-intensity exercise is really the key component that allows the brain to recover, and it enables the person to improve or maintain what they have without losing it. That’s the key component that a lot of people don’t get, and we’ve had success with it. And that’s just research based,” Bertram said.
Every client is different, Bertram said, so The NeuroFit Gym meets with each person in the beginning to find out more about them and their individual goals.
“What we’re allowed to do in our gym is different than being insurance based, because we can do a ‘whole person’ exercise session,” said Bertram.
A client might come in and do puzzles for their brain, or some sessions are devoted to education and stretching, depending on how a person is feeling that day.
“We will adapt, and they always feel better when they leave, which is a lot more fun for us, and everybody is different. We really just cater to the needs of each person,” she said.
MORE INFO
Visit theneurofitgym.com for class times. Individual sessions are also available. The NeuroFit Gym is located at 4155 Tonya Trail in Liberty Twp. in Butler County.
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