- By Dan Veaner
- Around Town
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The Lansing version is part of a national program that is based on the work of Dr. Ben Lerner, a chiropractor who is best known for his best selling book, ' One Minute Wellness
.' His 'Maximized Living' center in Celebration, Florida focuses on a holistic approach to health in which people merge physical, spiritual, and nutritional strategies to be proactive about getting and remaining healthy. Bartholomew worked for the organizer of the "Extreme Makeover Challenge' there, and has been part of the programs six times, three of them leading the program.
In Lansing the program will take place at Lakeshore Fitness Center, upstairs at the RINK starting February 25th. The group will meet each Monday with lectures, discussions, and exercise. Participants will break up into teams of four that meet during the week, offering ideas and encouragement to stay with the program and make it work. Health, exercise, nutrition, chiropractic and natural therapy are integrated into the program as participants develop healthy life strategies.
"We teach healthy habits that are efficient so people can get well and stay well," Bartholomew says. "At the same time they're going to meet people at the program who will hold them accountable, people they can bounce ideas off of."
A Groton native, Bartholomew graduated from SUNY Binghamton, then studied chiropractic at Palmer Florida College of Chiropractic in Port Orange, FL. While in Florida he worked for three chiropractic offices, as well as running 'Extreme Makeover' sessions. This month he opened his office on North Triphammer Road, and started working one day a week at the Ithaca Free Clinic. His brother Jeremy is also a chiropractor who practices in Waterville, NY.
Part of the reason for offering the class now is to introduce himself and meet people in the community. He hopes to start with about 20 people to keep the program intimate enough to give personal attention but have enough people to interact effectively. "I moved back to be close to my family and to try to make a difference in this community," he says. "To help people get healthy."
He says he has seen people of all ages go through the program, from about 13 years old to 85. He notes that people do best when they do it as a family, because all the members can support each other at home as well as at the sessions. "I like to see the changes people make," he says. "When people say, 'I added this and I felt amazing,' or talk about how their children's sinus infection is going away, or how their skin is clearing up from eczema... I like to see people doing better, and that I can be part of it."
Bartholomew says the type of exercise he will include in the program will depend on peoples' ages and what they are looking for. Developing time and stress management strategies are also part of the program. He says that people in our country lose an average of 22 healthy years. "We have expensive health care," he says. "We also have some of the worst performing health care in the world. The only solution if for people to take charge of their health. The best investment right now is to invest in your health."
He is only charging $25 for the 40 day program. "The goal isn't to make money," Bartholomew says. "It's to get people healthy and meet people in the area. To bring people together and actually make a difference So much of health care is geared toward sick people. If we can start making people more well, healthier and healthier, then we can change health care, at least in this community."
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