The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends seniors over 65 years of age get 150 hours of exercise per week.
A program in Bernalillo County is helping them achieve that goal. Senior citizens who suffer from arthritis pain continue to go out and exercise despite recent air quality alerts.
Seniors gather twice a week at the Raymond G. Chavez Community Center to stretch and take long walks, KOB 4 reported. The program is called “Walk With Ease” and is a partnership between the Health Equity Council and Bernalillo County.
“Basically, it’s a program designed to improve fitness and health and get people exercising and work through arthritis pain and other kinds of ailments that they might have,” George Schroeder, manager of Bernalillo County Senior and Social Services, told KOB 4. “[It] helps people start from wherever they are in their fitness level and improve their fitness through walking.”
Each session lasts approximately 30 minutes.
“People feel like it hurts to move, but in fact, movement reduces the impact of arthritis on your life,” Schroeder said. “This program helps people understand arthritis pain and how to move through it and how to work with it, and how to try to still maintain health and fitness despite that ailment.”
Among those participating in Walk with Ease is Melinda Marquez, who has seen progress in the way she feels and moves.
“We've had some health issues dealing with arthritis, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis. Yeah, so it seems to be helping,” she told KOB 4. “It's not like I can run a marathon right now. But every time I come, it gets easier and easier.”
Those who are interested in the program but cannot make it to the sessions have the option to participate at home. Contact the county for more information or visit the Walk With Ease website.
