Health and Wellness

With the passing of the Affordable Care Act in 2012, shifting responsibilities for insurance and health care options have made America and especially corporate environs pay closer attention to the health of their employees. Initiatives have sprung up to bridge the gap between health and wellness awareness and getting fit.
Once residents began moving into Artistry at 451 E. Market, an opportunity appeared to engage residents in a fun activity while providing Milhaus employees a way to increase their own physical fitness. Greg McHenry, Director of Development at Milhaus, says, “A lot of young professionals have moved into Artistry and they have a strong interest in their physical health, so we decided to offer some group fitness classes there and invite our employees to join in.”
Milhaus hired Arin Lindauer, Fitness Professional and owner of Transformation Fitness and Wellness, to design and lead their onsite group fitness classes. There aren’t many group fitness options downtown right now, so the program serves to fill a real fitness gap for residents. McHenry explains, “In the construction of Artistry, we included 3,000 sq. ft. of fitness space, half of which is devoted to free weights and cardio equipment; the other half is flexible and perfect for accommodating the 20-25 residents showing up for Arin’s classes.”
Currently, Artistry residents and a handful of Milhaus employees are taking part in an hour long Tabata-type bodyweight and resistance training class, in which participants move from one exercise to another in short, but intense, intervals. Next month, Arin will design a new class for residents to keep it fresh – an important factor in keeping people engaged and noticing the biggest physical gains.
“Already, the classes have been really well-received and we see a lot of benefits as a result,” McHenry points out. “Getting employees involved with residents, of course, builds community, teamwork and camaraderie. It motivates people to work out with friends to build healthy habits. Having Arin come in and lead the class opens participants up to new ideas about exercise. She educates people about health and wellness at the same time. As a company, we get a closer look at who our residents are and they see we care about them and their living experiences. We have created something we too want to participate in, not just a product we are selling.”
Even if residents cannot make it to one of Arin’s classes, the group fitness area at Artistry is outfitted with a large screen for displaying online WELLBEATS fitness workouts that resident services subscribes to including yoga, spinning, kickboxing, Pilates, etc. Milhaus’ commitment to health and wellness for both their residents and employees is one more part of their overall mission to build sustainable, environmentally healthy communities.