National Senior Health & Fitness Day – It’s Important, Now More Than Ever
Every year, for the last 28 years the National Health and Fitness Day has been held on the last Wednesday of May and this year, due to COVID, there will be two fitness days, one in two days, Wednesday, May 26th, and another on October 27th.
Now I know, you are probably saying to yourselves, “if I hear one more person tell me how I should get off my butt and exercise I’m going to hit them with a pair of sneakers”, but hear me out, I may have some predictable advice but very possibly a little different emphasis.
On this health & fitness day local organizations throughout the country will host senior-related health and fitness events at retirement communities, Ys/health clubs, senior centers, park districts, hospitals, houses of worship, local aging groups, and other community locations. The local health and fitness activities will vary widely based on the organization hosting the event and the interests of the local seniors they work with. Activities will be noncompetitive and may include walking events, low-impact exercises, health screenings and health information workshops. You can go to your local news source or the internet to see what activities will go on in your area.
One site, Silver Cuisine, gave seven activities you can do on your own to celebrate health & fitness day that might spark your interest and start an ongoing healthy activity.
1. Go to the Park
Park and Recreational Departments are getting involved in National Senior Health and Fitness Day, posing the opportunity for seniors to get out in nature. Check out local events near you or construct your own day at the park, filled with trail walking and a picnic!
2. Attend a Fitness Class
What more appropriate way to spend National Senior Health and Fitness Day than by attending a fitness class? Whether at a local community center or private gym, look for a structured workout session. Having an instructor helps demonstrate proper technique to prevent injury while a large group of people heightens motivation and energy!
3. Walk to Health
Organizations near you may be organizing walking events, so take advantage of such. But not all fitness activities have to be structured and can include a walk with close friends and family members. Whether walking on your favorite trail or around the neighborhood, enjoy the feeling of walking to health with loved ones.
4. Work in the Garden
Gardening is a leisurely hobby promoting both health and fitness. Attend to a personal or community garden or plant a garden bed or pot filled with fresh produce of herbs. Take gardening a step further, with personal crop or purchased from the grocer, and cook a meal with fresh produce filled with extensive nutrients to nourish the body.
5. Dance
Groove and dance to the music! Whether signed up for a Zumba class or in the comfort of your own kitchen, there are endless possibilities when it comes to dancing, as it can be done just about anywhere.
6. Schedule A Health Screening
Along with being active, be proactive with health. Scheduling a health screening keeps seniors in the know bout their own personal health and offers a chance to take preventative measures or actions, which may also be dependent on the physical results and discussions held with a healthcare professional.
7. Volunteer
Volunteering is a chance to offer health and wellbeing not only to yourself, but the ability to extend it to others. Seek out volunteer options at health fairs to spread the word of good health, food pantries to offer nutrition to individuals in need, or any other opportunities available in your community or area.
Ok, now that you’ve got the list of things that you’d expect from a blog about health & fitness day, it’s time for some unexpected emphasis. I would like to talk a little more about item 7, volunteering.
Over the last year, whether we liked it or not, we were limited in what we could do and where we could go. Our contact with others was extremely limited, it seemed like we were all focused on keeping ourselves from catching the virus. The key word in that last sentence is “ourselves.” We were focused on ourselves, and with good reason. This life-altering and life-taking virus was dangerous. Now that we are breaking the bonds of COVID we have a chance to change our focus.
I think volunteering is an excellent way to regain a sunny outlook. Turning our eyes toward others is a way to forget our own problems and help someone else regain their sunny outlook. Often when we volunteer it helps us exercise in a way that we hardly know it’s happening. I’ve found there is no better feeling than that aching body you have when you’ve shoveled the neighbor’s walks, cut the neighbor’s grass or did all the lifting and carrying required to get a handicapped friend to the doctor or to the park.
My wife’s aunt went over to the assisted living center once a week to push wheelchairs and help some of the women get to the hairdresser who volunteered once a week to do residents’ hair. She finally quit volunteering when she was 97.
I know that during the pandemic my life seemed to shrink to a very tight orbit where everything seemed to revolve around me. We need to expand our orbit and our universe and seek opportunities to serve others. I’ve found it’s a great way to feel good about yourself and your circumstance.
There are many places to volunteer – local senior centers, congregant eating and activity centers and county and state senior programs. Contact your local Area Agency on Aging (click here to find the closest Area Agency on Aging near you), as they have many ways you can volunteer. We all have some skills we’ve developed over our life that we can use to help others. Get involved!
While there will be many important issues that we will require us to raise our voices in unison, volunteering is a personal and immediate way we can brighten the lives of others . . . and maybe even get some exercise while we’re at it.
Best, Thair