by Dennis Dalman
The St. Joseph Health and Wellness Center is the result of a merger of two businesses – The Perfect Fit and Forever Young Two.
It is located at 32 First Ave. NW in a refurbished home where a branch office of The Perfect Fit opened in 2020. Before that, the house was for about 18 years the office space for the St. Joseph and Sartell Newsleaders.
The business, which opened in February, offers a wide variety of holistic methods for physical and emotional well-being. The holistic approach to health emphasizes the interconnections between a person’s physical health and other aspects of that person’s life, including lifestyle and mental and emotional wellness.
Allen Brinkman, a behavioral health consultant, is the owner of Forever Young Two Wellness and Skin Care, which he opened in 2015 in Waite Park. Brinkman, who lives in St. Cloud, grew up in Richmond, attended Rocori High School and went on to study at St. Cloud State University. His wife, Carol Troje Brinkman, who grew up in St. Paul, has a master’s degree in nursing and is a family nurse practitioner at Forever Young Two.
Julia Krengel, a Sartell resident, is the owner and personal trainer at The Perfect Fit, which she started in Sartell about 10 years ago. She has had long, extensive experiences in wellness: a lifeguard, physical education teacher, 20 years of coaching youth, a triathlete, teacher of fitness classes and much more. She has worked at Sartell Fitness, Snap Fitness, Rejuv Medical and was a volunteer race director for the Sartell Apple Duathlon. She is a specialist in Muscle Activation Technique.
The St. Joseph Health and Wellness Center combines the expertise of Krengel, Brinkman and their staff in helping clients achieve their optimal physical health and the interconnections with all-around mental and emotional health.
Offerings
Among the center’s offerings are physical work-out spaces and the following.
Nutritional supplements: High-quality, food-based supplements the body needs to function fully.
Forever Young facial: A way to exfoliate, hydrate and nourish one’s skin. It helps counter aging, sun damage, wrinkles, rosacea and redness.
IV infusion therapy: The treatment helps guard against dehydration, asthma, migraines, fatigue, acute muscle spasms, upper respiratory infections, chronic sinusitis and more.
Ionic foot bath: It pulls toxins out of the body through one’s feet. It is not only safe but also relaxing.
Body sculpting: This is a managed weight-loss program.
Cold laser therapy and dry-salt therapy: There is a “salt” room. The personal trainer works with clients, using muscle activation techniques in conjunction with those therapies.
St. Joseph Health and Wellness also connects with the larger community to improve physical and emotional wellness during community events, such as farmers’ markets and other gatherings.
Business hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays, 10 am.-5 p.m. Tuesdays, closed Wednesdays, 10 am.-5 p.m. Thursdays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays.
To make an appointment, call the office at 320-828-7788.
Tips for well-being
In the meantime, all people can do the following things to promote physical and emotional well-being.
Exercise four times a week by walking or running 30 minutes.
Sleep from 7-10 hours each night.
Practice stress management by deep breathing while reminding oneself of three good things about one’s life.
Drink water in half your weight, measured in ounces. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, drink 100 ounces of water each day.
Limit intake of sugar and “junk” foods. (They suppress the immune system and increase inflammation).
Take supplements or eat foods rich in nutrients such as vitamin D3, probiotics, vitamin C, fish oil and zinc.
Plan meals in a daily or weekly journal to guard against the temptation of binge-eating.
Keep a daily record of one’s weight.
Julia Krengel
Allen Brinkman
