Foothills campus opens new fitness centre

By Gail Anne Corbett

University of Calgary faculty, staff and students, as well as Calgary Health Region staff at U of C’s Foothills campus, have a new lease on work-life balance with the opening of the Kinetix Fitness and Wellness Centre, a 5,000-square-foot fitness facility overlooking the Rocky Mountains.

Located on the first floor of the new Teaching, Research and Wellness building, the centre features state-of-the-art cardio equipment, free weights, an exercise studio, training space and towel and locker service. Kinetix also offers personal training and nutritional counselling, wellness workshops and fitness classes such as yoga, Pilates and stretch.

“Kinetix is a direct response to the needs of our staff and faculty,” says Paul Heinrich, CFO and executive director of the faculties of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. “We surveyed our employees in the planning stages of the new Health Research Innovation Centre and the response was overwhelmingly in favour of an on-site fitness facility.”

Of the 700 employees who completed the survey, 72 percent indicated they would welcome an on-site fitness facility. “We weren’t really surprised by the results,” says Heinrich. “These are people who are devoting their lives to improving health and wellness. An at-work fitness facility is just a way of making it easier for them to manage their own work-life balance.”

The Faculty of Medicine sees the facility as a potential drawing card for recruiting faculty and staff. “It rounds off an already attractive professional/lifestyle package offered by U of C—proximity to world-class skiing and hiking, leading-edge research opportunities and a vibrant, growing entrepreneurial city,” says Heinrich. “At-work fitness amenities complete the package.”

Kinetix is open to the entire university campus and Foothills hospital employees, with priority given to Faculty of Medicine and Division of Health Sciences employees and students.

Annual memberships for U of C employees are $42 a month with direct payroll deductions. Drop-in fees are $10 per visit. For membership information, call 220-4585 or email kinetix@ucalgary.ca.