Lakeshore Fitness Center's Blog

Program Innovation Award – Enhanced Memory Fitness

By: MCC Staff

November 14, 2019, 12:00 pm - Categories: Uncategorized

Lakeshore Fitness Center is the proud recipient of the 2019 MFA Program Innovation Award!

The Medical Fitness Association (MFA), a non-profit organization, was formed in 1991 to assist medically-integrated health and fitness centers to achieve their full potential. Each year, MFA certified facilities are nominated and recognized for Medical Fitness Facility and Professional of the Year awards. Awards were presented during the 28^th Annual International Conference Awards Ceremony in Orlando, Florida. These awards celebrate and honor the best and the brightest in medical fitness center management.

Lakeshore Fitness Center’s Enhanced Memory Fitness was nominated and awarded 1^st place for the Program Innovation Award. Enhanced Memory Fitness is an exercise class that involves aerobic and strength training exercises that are scientifically proven to improve memory.  After the physical activity portion of the class, participants challenge their memory with a variety of mental exercises such as Sudoku, puzzles, learning a new language, and other brain games.  It’s been proven that these types of physical and mental exercises if done consistently, have shown an increased Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF).  BDNF is an important protein that influences brain function, grows the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory, and promotes the growth of new brain cells, improving both short- and long-term memory.

Low levels of BDNF have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, accelerated aging, poor neural development, obesity, depression, and schizophrenia.*

To learn more about this class, visit the Member Services desk.

*Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21282661)