Dr. Bernadette DeArmond

"A lot of what we thought of as aging is in fact inactivity," said Dr. Bernadette DeArmond, founder and program director of the Reconstruction Zone, a Mountain View fitness center for men and women over 40.Lowering herself to the floor, she pushes herself up again using her thighs."Leg strength is one of the biggest factors in whether you need assisted care.If you can't lift your own weight, how will you get up?"

Clad in a navy blue sweatshirt, DeArmond demonstrates some of the shiny new equipment in the center, which offers customized conditioning programs for older adults, beginning exercisers, and people with chronic health conditions or injuries. (The center also offers golf and ski training for anyone).Pulling on the smooth hydraulic gears of a cross-trainer, she admits that the creation of the Reconstruction Zone was partly the result of a personal quest.

"I'd spent the last 20 years sitting at a desk and was woefully out of shape," said DeArmond, a physician with a specialty in public health, who worked for several Bay Area pharmaceutical companies designing and managing clinical studies.Though she walked and hiked in the Sierras, she had ruptured a disk and started looking for a gym that could help her get back in shape.She was looking for serious weight training to build muscle strength, but wanted to avoid making her injury worse.

Searching the gyms in the area, she couldn't find exactly what she wanted and gradually realized there was only one solution: to create her own."I didn't want it to be torture - I wanted it to be fun," said DeArmond."And I didn't want loud rap music."

At first glance her light and airy gym may look like many others, but what it offers is unusual.Not only does DeArmond know all of the clients and their health challenges, but as a medical doctor she understands what this means for their exercise routine.She monitors programs for each individual, including people with conditions such as diabetes, heart disease or arthritis.

This quiet, friendly place encourages all comers, regardless of their age or fitness level and whether they have exercised before or not.Some are referred by physical therapists or chiropractors, but many clients are healthy, active people ranging from 40 to over 90, who come through word-of-mouth referrals from friends.

State-of-the-art exercise machines are easy enough for beginners but also challenging enough for athletes.DeArmond researched equipment for a year with her daughter and business partner, Jennifer DeArmond, a lawyer and personal training student, before deciding which would be the best fit for their clients.
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"Bernadette was very careful in instructing me on the machines so I didn't strain my trick shoulder," said Kershner as he worked out on the Keiser machine, which provides both positive and negative resistance to each muscle group.
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"There are few reasons not to exercise, but lots of excuses," said DeArmond, who is certified as a personal trainer by the International Sports Science Association.However, she adds that there are some people who really should not exercise, such as those with unstable diabetes or acute heart conditions.Others should check with their doctors if they have not exercised for a long time.

"Exercise is the greatest thing anyone can do for themselves," said DeArmond.

Bernadette DeArmond, M.D., M.P.H. is the founder of Reconstruction Zone and serves as the Program Director.Dr. DeArmond is a physician with specialty certification in General Preventive Medicine and Pediatrics.She is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine and the International Council on Active Aging and is a Personal Trainer certified by the International Sports Science Association.