Move More Month

“In January 2020, the Board of Directors of the AVA: America’s Walking Club, declared the first seven days of April to be “National Walking Week” which would include the traditional “National Walking Day” sponsored by the American Heart Association from 2007 to 2019.”

At VITALIA Active Adult Community® – North Olmsted in  North Olmsted, OH, we strive to make sure that our residents stay active and healthy to ensure they enjoy their golden years in the best ways possible! Each of our residents has unique interests when it comes to fitness – some enjoy walking outdoors at local parks while others get their workout in at our cardio drumming classes. With that in mind, we adapt our fitness programs according to the tastes of our residents, utilizing both in-house fitness classes and our vendor partnerships to provide a variety of choices for our residents to stay active. Due to our unique resident group, the classes we provide may vary from those of our sister communities so that we are all meeting the needs of our individual residents. 

As the Resident Services Director, motivating my residents to stay active is a huge part of my program planning. I try to incorporate different forms of physical activity throughout their schedule such as cardio drumming, yoga, music & movement, chair volleyball, pool aerobics, and daily fitness classes. My residents love having fun and staying active at the same time! They enjoy the socialization of the scheduled exercise events as well.

For chair yoga, we have partnered with New Horizon Yoga Studio. We have also taken chair volleyball to the next level with our own competitive team, the Olmsted Upstarts! Starting this spring, we also launched our Walking Club!

When we think of celebrating National Walking Week, we don’t just see a way to stay active. We see an opportunity to interact with those in our communities and meet new friends along the way. In celebration of this week, walkers are encouraged to find the motivation to get active.

We are celebrating National Walking Week with the official launch of our outdoor Walking Club. Residents and staff will be participating with a group walk outside. After a cold, hard winter, we are looking forward to getting out of the halls and back on the trails. We have planned a fun week of walking challenges both indoors and outdoors to encourage residents to stay active.

Looking beyond National Walking Week, I plan to encourage residents to continue their walking efforts by setting up walking challenges throughout the year. I am also working to set-up mile markers outside of our community for residents to easily keep track of their distance. This will make it easier for residents to make and meet their walking goals while enjoying some fresh air at the same time.

If you would like to participate in National Walking Week efforts in your area, visit https://ava.org/national-walking-week/ to find out more! 

Sources: https://ava.org/national-walking-week/

www.walkvirginia.org)