Trinity Hospital Twin City Fit for Life Program Flourishing

Trinity Hospital Twin City in Dennison, Ohio, has found great success with its Fit for Life program. Testimonials abound as to the success participants have had with Fit for Life, and enrollment in the program continues to grow.

“I feel blessed to work for a hospital that has supported me now for 22 years,” Dr. Timothy McKnight, founder and director of Fit for Life, said. “I have been passionately teaching people how to heal since 2006.”

Now that Fit for Life is available both virtually and in-person, Dr. McKnight believes it has international potential.

“I am surprised, at times, that the program continues to increase in numbers,” he said. “I think moving the class to Dover, Ohio, and going virtual has really expanded the view that our program coordinator, Kelly Bowe, and I have of reaching a huge audience.”

What is Fit for Life?

• Fit for Life is a 12-week, individualized program, conducted twice a year, that emphasizes realistic lifestyle changes resulting in enhanced levels of health and fitness.

• The goal of the Trinity Health System Twin City Medical Center Fit for Life program is to provide an innovative, multi-agency means to reduce the number of overweight and obese men and women of all ages in Tuscarawas County and the surrounding counties of Carroll, Guernsey, and Harrison.
• Participants meet once weekly for about 60 minutes, either in-person or virtually, and use customized fitness and diet plans developed by the Trinity Hospital Twin City Fit for Life team.

• The fall class, which began back in September, is the largest one yet, with 73 participants, 50 of whom are in-person and 23 of whom are virtual.

• Participants have joined the class virtually from Austin, Texas; Chicago, Ill.; Atlanta, Ga.; Utah; North Carolina; and West Virginia.
• The Fit for Life program was recently featured by the Rural Health Information Hub because of the many lives it has transformed.

How is Fit for Life different?

• Fit for Life is physician-led, Dr. McKnight said, which distinguishes it from other wellness and weight-loss programs.

“As a practicing primary-care provider and hospitalist, my day-to-day interactions with health and disease bring relevant and timely, crucial information about the latest disease states and healing opportunities,” he explained. “People love the fact that this program is physician-led and physician-inspired.”

• Fit for Life is comprehensive, while still allowing the individual to make personal decisions regarding their own lifestyle changes.

“They do this by the inspiration that comes to them after the information has been presented and key questions are posed,” Dr. McKnight said. “Based on current strategies in evidence-based medicine, it empowers people with information, so that they do not feel victim of a healthcare system that they often perceive wants to push prescription medication and rarely addresses the root cause of disease.”

• Topics cover the most common primary-care conditions seen in the office, which allows Dr. McKnight to assist patients in understanding why they have the condition and how the body will try to heal it. The key to this approach is learning to live in harmony with nature’s lessons of healing.

“This program reflects my passion for nutrition, exercise, and treating the entire person,” Dr. McKnight said. “This means treating their physical body, as well as their spiritual, mental, and emotional make-up. I really believe it addresses the entire person. I try my best to be a role model for class members. At 62 I am doing things physically that I never thought were possible. However, by applying the principles of this program, they are universal and they work.”

How are classes conducted?

• A private Facebook page is set up specifically for the current class.

• Three to four lessons are posted to that page; each of these lessons is approximately 25 to 30 minutes long.
• The class members read the “Chapter of the Week” and watch the lessons as their schedule allows.
• Their total weekly time commitment with watching the videos, reading their chapter, and attending the weekly meeting is approximately 3 to 3.5 hours per week.

“This makes it so nice for young parents and class members who work full time,” Kelly Bowe, Project Coordinator, said. “They can watch during the time of day where they’re able to quiet down, relax, and concentrate on the lessons.”

• The Fit for Life Facebook page also offers support, encouragement, recipes, exercises, and demonstration videos from Dr. McKnight, Bowe, and other members of the class.

• By using this Facebook page regularly, the class members are able to get to know each other better.
• The participants then meet every Tuesday evening at 5:30 for approximately one hour.

“Dr. McKnight and I meet with the in-person participants at the Dover Library in Dover, Ohio,” Bowe said. “I weigh everyone weekly and counsel them through their journey.”

• Dr. McKnight facilitates a weekly PowerPoint presentation to quickly review the chapter and take any questions the class members may have. Dr. McKnight also invites guest speakers to talk with the class.

“Dr. McKnight shares so much more additional information to help them with their journey,” Bowe said. “He shares all of the new information he learns through his research and medical conferences, and he offers each class the most up-to-date information as he learns it.”

• The virtual participants also tune into the Facebook page at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and are able to see everything the in-person class sees.

“They can ask questions and interact as well. I call them each week to record their weight, counsel them, and answer any questions they have,” Bowe said, adding, “I feel that our fall session is the very best version of Fit for Life to date.”

Speaking from personal experience

Bowe is passionate about Fit for Life, because she has personally benefited from it.

“I was one of the first participants of the Fit for Life program that started classes in 2006,” Bowe said. “I had just begun working at Trinity Hospital Twin City in the Laboratory and heard about this program and wanted to see what it was about, so I signed up.”

Bowe was impressed that Dr. McKnight, a full-time primary-care physician, was constantly researching the newest wellness studies and findings and spending countless hours learning up-to-date treatments with the intent of making the community healthier.

“Once I took the class I understood what the ‘hype’ was all about,” Bowe said. “This doctor truly cared about the overall health of our community and wanted to help people learn how to stay healthy for life.”

The Fit for Life program is not only a fitness/weight-loss/wellness program, she said. It is an overall lifestyle-changing program.

“Once you have learned the tools that Dr. McKnight gives you, it is easy to ‘live’ the program for the rest of your life,” Bowe said. “Dr. McKnight teaches the program in a way that every learning style is covered. Some people learn best by reading, some by listening to or watching a video, and others need to hear the information in-person. All learning styles are included in the program.”

Bowe accepted the position of Fit for Life Project Coordinator around the time she began working in the program’s Marketing Department in 2011, five years after she herself had completed Fit for Life. Bowe said she wanted to help Dr. McKnight make this program the very best it could be and to help as many people as they could.

“I knew this was not a fad program. I knew this was honestly the program that would keep people healthy,” she said. “People of all ages were having success. I wanted to be part of that. My goal was to work side by side with Dr. McKnight to assist him in any way I could. I wanted to help him reach the most people he could.”

Initially, they held classes in a conference room at Trinity Hospital Twin City. They quickly had to expand the locations to hold classes in Steubenville, Carrollton, New Philadelphia, and Dover.

COVID challenged the program

As with most activities and events, the COVID-19 pandemic challenged Fit for Life’s ability to continue in an effective manner.

“We knew we needed to ‘roll with it’ and create a way to still reach our participants,” Bowe said. “The momentum was strong, and we didn’t want to ease off the gas even for a minute. We put our heads together with Trinity Health System Market Director Laurie Labishak and came up with the idea of offering the class virtually. Everyone, at that time, had to take the class 100 percent virtually.”

A private Facebook page was created, where Dr. McKnight presented the chapter lecture live on Tuesday evenings.

“We opened up registration to the Steubenville area, and Dr. McKnight and I personally invited out-of-state people we knew to join the class,” Bowe said. “Once we started inviting out-of-the-area people, the ball started rolling, and we started getting calls from their friends and family.”

Bowe and McKnight have since discovered the successes of virtual participants are equal to the successes of the in-person class.

“The virtual participants feel included in all activities,” Bowe said. “I call them each week to counsel them and to see if they have any questions for us. They participate in the Facebook page regularly and ask questions.”

The future of Fit for Life

Bowe feels the program has only scratched the surface of its potential.

“Now that we have opened up the program virtually, we can reach anyone and everyone, and we still have so many people to reach,” she said. “This fall class is our largest class to date. We have a full in -person class plus an additional 23 virtual participants. We have participants from all over the United States. We even had one couple watch from Scotland while on vacation. I am so excited about where Fit for Life is headed.”

“Dr. McKnight deserves all the applause for this program,” Bowe added. “I am honored to be working beside him.”

Dr. McKnight holds Bowe in equal esteem.

“Kelly is the greatest coach and cheerleader for our participants,” he said. “Her role is key. In fact, I would love to see the program have an international reach with cheerleaders like Kelly Bowe and [former student] Debbie Angel serving the critical role of personal connection and encouragement with each participant.

“I would love to see online groups forming to support one another as they do on our Facebook page. I would be thrilled to dedicate more time and energy into updating the content and making more information accessible online, including videos and other learning and inspirational resources.”

Driven by a passion for science and the soul

When Dr. McKnight was contacted for this piece, he was preparing to attend a conference on preventing and reversing heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and autoimmune diseases by losing visceral fat; exercising to increase natural muscle mass; intermittent fasting; and hormone replacement therapy.

Dr. McKnight’s ongoing quest to educate himself on the latest research into health and wellness exemplifies his approach to the Fit for Life program: evidence-based, scientifically driven methods that sometimes are in contrast to the narrative promoted by mainstream medicine.

Dr. McKnight has been developing Fit for Life on his own time for nearly 20 years and is the primary teacher of this curriculum. He was inspired in 2002 after attending a medical conference titled, Writing a Wellness Prescription for Your Patients.

“I love to teach,” Dr. McKnight said. “I love to make it simple and pertinent. I love to model correct principles and serve as a role model for health and wellness. I love to inspire and instill hope. It’s not enough to just educate. I feel it is my responsibility to touch and inspire the soul.”

Testimonials from past participants

Of course, Fit for Life’s success is found in the stories and testimonials of those who have embraced the program and have discovered a renewed quality of life because of it.

Debbie and Seth Angel

Debbie first heard about Fit for Life from friends who had already gone through the program and found success in improving their health. She decided to sign up and encouraged her husband, Seth, to follow suit.

“I had trouble attending due to my work schedule,” Seth said, “but the online classes worked well for me.”

Because of the classes, Debbie realized the impact the emotions and mind can have on the body and healing.

“The program helped me become aware of my own challenges,” Debbie said. “I wasn’t controlling my thoughts and emotions; this was leading me to unhealthy eating habits.”

She felt empowered by the program because it allowed her to make small changes each week.

“I learned the importance of stress management, nutrition, exercise, flexibility, strength fitness, disease prevention, and healthy aging,” Debbie said. “By the end of the 12 weeks, I was on my way to healing, not only my body, but my mind and spirit, too.”

Seth said he had a lot of trouble avoiding bad food choices. The Fit for Life program gave him the information and tools he needed to improve his eating habits.

“Intermittent fasting is one of my major takeaways from the program,” he said. “Initially, I thought fasting would be very difficult, but I have found that it is actually quite easy. I find that I am more alert, have a lot of energy, and am actually not hungry when I fast.”

Using the tools he received in the program, Seth has lost approximately 35 pounds.

“I feel better than I have in many years and am actually back in the same pants size I wore in high school.”

Debbie’s lab work has improved, she said, and she’s lost about 50 pounds.

“Now I am making healthier eating choices and am very active. This program taught me how important it is to have a proper mindset to become healthier. It was life-changing for me.”

Robert F. Michels

Robert F. Michels first heard about Fit for Life through a friend who was attending the course.

“He showed me his workbook which piqued my interest and led me to believe that it was a program of great value,” Michels said.

For him, the most challenging part of the program was developing a healthy eating regimen.

“There was so much good information, but learning what is healthy, what is not, how hidden sugars can be a problem, how your body reacts to food and how hormonal imbalances can be a problem are all very important aspects to a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a healthy weight,” Michels said.

Since starting Fit for Life, Michels has become very active at the gym, training five to six times each week.

“The workout program does not need to be lengthy; 30 minutes is doable,” he said. “I have lost over 100 pounds and I have maintained a healthy weight. There are still challenges, but I know that I am in control. It is much easier to lose five pounds than 25.”

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Pat Beadle

Pat Beadle first heard about the program from Dr. McKnight. Although the most challenging part for her was the 24-hour fast, Pat said she has since embraced intermittent fasting and doesn’t find it as difficult. Overall, she has seen her personal health improve drastically.

“My A1c went from 6.4 down to 5.4 on my last bloodwork,” she said. “ Identifying carbs has improved my energy level, and I’ve lost 20 pounds since last fall, so my self-esteem has also been enhanced.”

It’s easier to make time to walk or to engage in life-enhancement activities than one may think, she said. For example, Fit for Life taught Pat the value of label reading, and she became aware of the marketing tricks involved with the food we buy.

“I was stunned to learn that high fructose corn syrup is in too many of our foods,” Pat said. “I’ve been sharing with our family and friends the benefits of label reading, and sometimes they’re as surprised as I was by the tricks.

“Overall, I would recommend this program to anyone. It will not only improve your health, but the health of your family and friendship circle as well.”

Testimonial from current participant

Erica van Pelt first heard about Fit for Life from a friend who successfully completed the program about 12 years ago. At the time, however, she was living outside of the area and found the commitment to be intimidating.

“All other programs I tried didn’t delve into the mental and emotional hurdles that need to be addressed before making changes to your diet,” Erica said. “By not addressing those challenges, all other programs ultimately lead to failure when expectations are not met.”

Fit for Life, she said, is truly about learning to heal: mentally, emotionally, and physically. Furthermore, Erica has accepted that her pathway to health will be unique, a journey that belongs to her and no one else.

“The success of this program for me had very little to do with the number on the scale,” she said. “I know that my overall health has improved exponentially.”

Her life has been a happy one, she added. But she had never felt fully present.

“It always felt like I was watching from the sidelines as I cheered on my children, my spouse, and everyone present in my life,” Erica said. “I always felt that my role was to make sure everyone else felt supported. Now I know I deserve that same support and can now accept it.”

Thanks to the program, Erica has learned to accept herself for who she is.

“It’s silly to say I joined a weight loss program to lose weight, but ultimately, I gained: I gained confidence, I gained perspective, I gained lifelong friends and supporters, and I gained a healthier body, mind, and heart.”

Testimonials number in the hundreds

At the end of each 12-week session, Dr. McKnight said they allow participants to share their stories.

“There have been so many moving stories over the years. They normally leave Kelly and me in tears and fill us with gratitude and determination to continue to reach out and touch as many people as are willing to listen.”

Of the nearly 4,000 Fit for Life graduates over the last 16 years, Dr. McKnight said all of them have given the program their highest recommendation to friends and family.

“We have seen people lose over 100 pounds of weight, reverse chronic pain, stop taking medications, start running 15 miles a week, and most importantly, have an excitement for new opportunities in life they did not anticipate,” he said. “We have seen people heal as they have forgiven others and most often forgiven themselves. We have seen lives saved, marriages healed, and hope restored.”

Bowe said her favorite success story belongs to Bob, whose name has been changed to protect his privacy. When Bob came to the first class, she said, he used a walker and could hardly breathe. He had to stop to rest several times before he could even make it into the classroom.

“He shared with me that his health was bad since he injured himself years before,” Bowe recalled. “He had become sedentary so his weight increased considerably. He shared that he had diabetes issues and congestive heart failure. He had tried numerous diet plans and nothing worked.”

Because of his health issues, Bob was unable to work and was mostly housebound. It was difficult for him to even go to the doctor, and friends had to drive him to the class.

“Each week I would weigh Bob and talk with him,” Bowe said. “His whole demeanor started to change. He followed Dr. McKnight’s program and did all of the assignments Dr. McKnight asked the class to do.”

By the end of the 12 weeks, Bob had lost over 40 pounds and was smiling all the time.

He wasn’t using his walker, and he made it into class without stopping to rest.

“Dr. McKnight and I kept in touch with Bob, and after one year, he was down 125 pounds and was working,” Bowe said. “His lifestyle change improved his

diabetes, and the weight loss helped the congestive heart failure symptoms. Bob amazes me every time I see him. He praises Dr. McKnight and the Fit for Life program and says that Dr. McKnight ‘saved his life.’”

“There are hundreds of people who have had these experiences,” Dr. McKnight added. “All of them are my heroes. They have each touched my heart and deepened my resolve to change as many lives as I possibly can.”

For more information and additional testimonials about Fit for Life, please visit their website by clicking here.

Registration for the Winter Fit for Life Class 2023 will begin on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Go to www.trinitytwincity.org and click on “For Your Health” followed by “Fit for Life” and “Register Here” to sign up.

The next Fit for Life class will start on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Dover Library in Dover, Ohio, at 5:30 pm.