When it comes to healthy aging, Accel Performance and Wellness Director Drew Graham is leading the way for Memphis, using a sustainable and progressive approach to help everyone — from the active adult to seasoned athlete — succeed.
Together with Campbell Clinic Orthopedics, Drew collaborated to plan, develop, and launch this comprehensive center in 2019.
“What I really enjoy about this facility is how we can cater to everyone’s needs and abilities to help them feel better and reach their goals.”
Accel Performance and Wellness brings the same level of amenities, programming, and care, similar to that of a professional team.
“We wanted to bring that same knowledge and approach to the general adult population.”
By focusing on their three pillars of mobility, flexibility, and stability, Accel’s program sets the foundation for healthy living, with exercises geared towards improving strength and joint range of motion and surrounding soft tissues.
“We know if we focus on that, their goals become much more attainable, whether it might be weight loss, feeling good getting out of bed, or training on an athletic level.”
Use it or lose it. Due to sedentary lifestyle habits, certain movement areas can atrophy with age, causing the body to lose those characteristics.
“This leads people to feel soreness and tightness when performing simple movements.”
That’s why Accel’s performance classes cycle through a weekly variety of strength-building; power, speed, and agility; muscle endurance; and work capacity training. They also offer classes focusing more on mobility exercises.
Together, they equip the everyday person with the tools for long-term body functionality.
Boasting a large outside turf, Accel’s coaches can get creative with dynamic stretching, agility training, and conditioning drills.
The one-stop shop’s 12,500 square foot facility offers everything wellness-related — including massage, physical, and stretch therapies; performance and active recovery training; and nutritional counseling that adopts a non-diet behavioral approach.
Accel continues to offer the latest and greatest amenities, including a hydro-Worx pool, sauna, hot tub, and cold plunge pools, and Normatec compression boots.
Plus, their small 12-person group, and 1-2 instructor-facilitated classes mean everyone receives hands-on help, with individual modifications.
“We want to make all of our adults feel really comfortable and understand this is a process, with the one-step-at-a-time focus of just trying to move better.”
For Drew, it’s all about taking things in moderation by being patient and trusting the process.
“If we start with changing some behaviors without going too extreme too quickly, we find that people can maintain it.”
Accel’s multiple levels of membership packages are designed to fit everyone’s needs and budgets.
Visit Accelperformance.com for more information, to schedule a tour, or receive educational insight on their Let’s Move blog archive. Stop by during general hours of operation (5:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. Monday–Friday and 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Saturday) to chat with an onsite coach and learn how you can accelerate your way to better health.
IG: @doyouaccel
By Shlomit Ovadia
