February 2012 - The Senior Times

Just good ole
exercise –
hold the disco
Irwin Block
Ever wondered what goes on in that spanking
new glass-enclosed building on the athletic
grounds at the Loyola Campus of Concordia
University on Sherbrooke W.?
Dr. Hugues Beauregard, 69, dropped by last
month and now the Montreal endocrinologist
works out virtually every day at the $35-million
facility known as the PERFORM Centre.
That’s the acronym combining its central features:
prevention, evaluation, rehabilitation and
form(ation), combining the French word for
training and the shape we’d like to be in. It opened
in September and the public, juniors and seniors
alike, is invited to join.
Whatever you do, do not call the 8,000-squaremetre
facility a “gym,” says Marian Lowe, a certified
exercise physiologist who manages programs
at the centre.
She says it is a unique combination of research,
education and community engagement, fitted
with the latest equipment and led by highly
trained specialists.
Walk in and you will see the centre is bathed in
4 The Senior TimeS February 2012 www.theseniortimes.com
Iordanka Noteva (left) and Concordia student Zech Bouchard work out at the PERFORM Centre.
pastel colours and natural light, augmented by
fluorescent lamps, and there is no blaring disco
music. The ventilation system keeps the air fresh.
Treadmills have their own music, video screens,
WiFi and, thanks to earphones, merciful silence
is maintained.
Lots of room separates the various machines,
which are surrounded by a walking track.
Each participant is assessed by a qualified exercise
specialist, and the focus combines prevention,
research and promotion of better health and
lifestyle choices based on regular exercise suited
for each persons’s age and condition.
Participation in research is voluntary.
Beauregard, who has always been active—cycling,
skiing and golfing—was attracted to the
centre by its location and the fact that it is managed
by the university.
“For me, that is an indication of quality,” he said.
“They are used to working with students who are
doing research. Physical activity and education is
a science that is evolving, and by being part of a
university group, I have more chance of profiting
from advances based on that research.”
Continued on page 5
Photos: Irwin Block