Fitness Center Devotee Joel Rosenfeld

Dr. Joel Rosenfeld regrets he waited so long to start taking care of himself, now that he’s eating healthier and working out regularly at St. Luke’s Fitness Center at Commerce Way.  

The retired senior associate dean of Temple St. Luke’s School of Medicine, who spent his career teaching young men and women how to encourage their patients to stay healthy, sadly often neglected his own health. But that changed in 2021.

Shortly after he retired, he set one goal for himself: “I needed to lose weight,” he says. “My PCP told me I was too damn fat.”

He worked with network registered dietitian and diabetes program educator, Robin Gayle, who taught him how to reduce the carbs in his diet and to track his food intake to help him slim down.

“She also told me to start working out,” said Dr. Rosenfeld, who will soon turn 76 years old.

And he hasn’t looked back on his younger, out-of-shape self since.

He joined the Fitness Center, which administered a Fitness Assessment to help him identify his current health status, including measuring his body fat, flexibility, muscle mass and cardiovascular endurance. He also set fitness goals for working out: lose weight/abdominal girth and increase his strength and stamina.

His exercise specialist worked with him to design a custom program of exercise focused that he has stuck to faithfully since the beginning.

“Dr. Rosenfeld’s program, like all of our programs, is designed to continue to progress over time as the client gets in better and better shape,” said Stefanie Martin, senior exercise specialist at Commerce Way facility.

Since May of 2021, he has been a regular at the gym, working out as many as five days a week, guided by the Center’s customized workout program and tracking his improvement. Trainers are available to coach clients at the gym and offer periodic reviews with them to monitor their progress and offer them tips on everything from adjusting or updating their goals to avoiding injuries.

Members also may receive medical referrals from various physicians and rehab departments if they required specialized routines, guidance or surveillance during exercise, which their doctor can review. 

Dr. Rosenfeld enjoys how he feels after his 60-90 minutes sessions and thrives on the friendly and supportive environment there. In just over four years, he has surpassed his weight-loss goal and is building on his fitness regimen.

“I have more stamina and strength now than ever,” he explains. “Going to the gym has become a vital part of my day.”

Whether he’s attending a board meeting at the DaVinci Center, running a board meeting for the Historic Bethlehem Museums and Sites or strolling around Manhattan, while visiting his son, Dr. Rosenfeld says he “feels better than I have felt in decades.”

“Joining the St. Luke’s Sports & Fitness Performance Center is the best thing I have done for myself.”

“I haven’t felt this good in decades.”