The team plans to begin sponsoring different events for weight loss, which would combine healthy habits with good- natured competition


not saying that you have to turn into a weightlifting champ; just go over and walk on the treadmill on your lunch break. Promoting any sort of movement, I think, is a really good thing.” The team plans to begin sponsoring differ-


Above: Theresa Speake, a physical therapist, also leads training classes and


will meet up with people to show them around the gym. Photography by James Moore.


ent events for weight loss, which would combine healthy habits with good-natured competition among departments, and also hopes to fill out exist- ing class slots. Speake said whatever sparks people’s interest in exercise, they should follow it to create a healthier lifestyle. “Exercise helps stimulate blood flow, which im-


proves joint health, plus you’ve got all the chemi- cal effects that are happening in the brain, your endorphins,” she said. “As we get older, exercise is


also important so that you don’t lose muscle mass, which over time, creates more wear and tear on joints. Nurses, especially, and CNAs and therapists are on their feet a lot, they do a lot of lifting and they work long hours. Strength is very important to do those things.” Speake, who’s worked as a physical therapist at


Ozarks Healthcare for 31 years, said the addition of the gym is one of the best things the healthcare system has done for its employees. “Healthcare is a stressful profession,” she said.


“When you get off work, you’re tired, but you can still exercise when you’re tired. Having this facil- ity right here and available makes that easy. It’s just terrific.”


• SUMMER 2022 | INSIGHT | 39


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