The Singapore Heart Foundation (SHF) opened its second heart-wellness centre in April, providing local cardiac patients – as well as those at risk of heart disease – with a safe environment in which to exercise.

The 375sq m (4,036sq ft) SHF-Life Insurance Association Heart Health Hub is designed to provide community-based phase 3 and 4 cardiac rehab for recovering heart patients. SHF is the only institution in Singapore that offers community-based phase 3 and 4 cardiac rehabilitation programmes at highly subsidised rates.

It also provides assistance for individuals at risk of developing heart disease – such as those with medical conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity – to better manage their condition through the Heart Wellness Programme. This includes monitored group exercise, dietary and stress management counselling, and smoking cessation.

The facility is equipped with treadmills, cross-trainers, fluid rowers, fluid cycles, free weights and a multifunctional weight training machine. The new centre also houses a multi-purpose room for educational health talks and workshops for members and the public, as well as a kitchen for cooking demonstrations.