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With spring in full bloom, now is a good time to get off of the couch.

Dr. Neal Patalinghug, with Meritus Family Medicine-Williamsport, said walking is one of the most sustainable, efficient, readily accessible and budget-friendly forms of exercise. Best of all, walking lends itself to people of all ages and fitness levels, including those with health conditions.

According to Patalinghug, sticking with an exercise program is the key to longevity and improved health. Walking doesnt require practice most people have been doing it since they were toddlers and it can:

Make your heart pump more efficiently and improve circulation

Keep your cholesterol and blood pressure in check

Reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes or help you manage the condition

Strengthen your bones and tone your leg muscles

Increase the calories you burn

Help you lose weight and keep it off

Help you relax and sleep better

Give you energy and increase stamina

Clear your head and provide time to process things

Before starting a walking program, check with your doctor, especially if youre 60 or older, or have heart, respiratory or balance problems. Patalinghug recommended buying walking shoes with good cushioning to soften your weight against the ground.

Because youll warm up fast, dress like its 10 degrees warmer outside and wear moisture-wicking fabrics such as polyester and polypropylene. Wearing lighter-colored clothing makes you more visible to cars and doesnt attract the sun.

If youre new to exercise or if youve been inactive, start by walking for short amounts of time, and slowly increase your distance each week. That approach allows your muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments to follow a natural progression to longer workouts with far less risk of injury.

Stretch your calf muscles after a walk. Start by standing on a step with your heels hanging off the edge. Holding onto a rail, lift and lower your heels.

Patalinghug offers these tips for a safe and effective workout:

Find a safe, well-paved area in which to walk. Consider bringing a friend for company, motivation and safety.

Focus on keeping your spine straight, chin up and shoulders back, but relaxed.

Land on your heels and roll your weight toward your toes.

Swing your arms gracefully in time with your legs.

Keep at a talking pace, meaning you can easily sing to yourself or talk to your partner.

Listen to your body, and never work through joint pain, chest pain or shortness of breath. Pain is an indicator that something might be wrong. If you are experiencing light-headedness, stop exercising.

Increase the intensity by walking faster, longer and uphill, or combine fast and slow intervals.

To create an exercise habit, Patalinghug suggested walking at certain times of day, such as at lunch or after dinner. To keep things interesting, treat yourself and/or family to a nature hike. Meritus Healths partnership with the National Park Service encourages participation in the Kids in Parks TRACK Trails program, an expanding network of family-friendly outdoor trails. Go to http://www.kdsinparks.com for nearby trails.

Offering benefits such as weight loss, improving overall health and helping people clear their minds, walking is accessible to everyone. You just need to put on your sneakers and get moving.

Meritus Health, 11116 Medical Campus Road, east of Hagerstown, is the largest health system in the area, providing hospital and outpatient services to the community.

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Want a free exercise program you can start today? Just walk - Herald-Mail Media

By Emily Sohn By Emily Sohn May 7 at 8:00 AM

When my friends Katy and Nathan moved to Boston in 2014, they joined November Project, whose members gather for free early-morning workouts in cities around the country. It didnt take long before they were hooked on the workouts and the community.

Like an organized religion without the religion, Nathan says, November Project offered a network of people with shared values, including interests in good health and friendships as well as a willingness to embrace such rituals as hugs and chants. For me, he says, its essentially the Church of Playing Outside and Working Out.

It may sound almost cultlike a description that some November Project devotees embrace. And theyre not alone. Options for group exercise with ritualistic twists and devoted followers include CrossFit, SoulCycle, Bikram Yoga and Fit4Mom (along with plenty of gyms and studios that sell fitness alongside promises of fun and friends).

For some, a tribe-like atmosphere keeps them coming back for more. But others fail to get hooked, and then drift away.

Its not clear what separates these joiners from those whod rather not, and that mystery echoes a bigger questions facing both fitness studios and public health experts: Why do so few people stick with exercise?

Despite national guidelines that recommend 150 minutes of moderate activity each week for major health benefits plus strength work such as weights or push-ups, only about half of American adults get enough aerobic exercise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nearly 30 percent get no physical activity in their spare time.

Even when intentions are good, about half of people who start exercise programs drop out within the first six months, says Rodney Dishman, an exercise scientist at the University of Georgia in Athens. After two years, Dishman says, 80 percent have given up. Those numbers havent budged over three decades of research, he adds.

Researchers have found plenty of reasons for quitting, including waning motivation, lack of easy access to exercise facilities or walkable neighborhoods, and false expectations about how quickly results will appear. Injury and discomfort are other common excuses, says Jack Raglin, an exercise psychologist at Indiana University in Bloomington.

To get folks to keep coming back, many fitness studios work to create an enticing environment, often with an emphasis on community, even peer pressure, and competition.

SoulCycles website promises empowerment to clients, claiming it doesnt just change bodies, it changes lives. November Project has a page on its website for teasing people who said theyd come but then skipped a morning workout. And in Minneapolis, a studio called The Firm boasts: We make working out an event, driven by pride, passion and love, building community one name at a time.

Theres no publicly available data to show whether the community-building or the guilt works. But social support can be a powerful motivational tool, some research suggests.

Raglins research, for example, has found that, when people enrolled in an exercise program with a spouse, more than 90 percent stuck with it for a year compared with slightly more than half of those who enrolled alone. When one member of a couple drops out, though, the other usually does, too, Raglin says. That echoes other research showing that friends and family can enhance or sabotage exercise rates.

And not everyone responds the same way to social pressure. In a 2016 study, British researchers found that CrossFit members reported a greater sense of community belongingness than did people who went to traditional gyms. But overall, the two groups exercised the same amount, suggesting that people who like to exercise with others may simply seek out more-social gyms.

It either works, Raglin says, or it backfires.

I have heard both positive and negative stories about group exercise experiences from friends, including plenty of CrossFit fans and some who tried it but eventually moved on. One thought shed love the workouts but found that she was comparing herself to a mostly younger clientele who spent lots of time together outside the gym without her.

It felt, she says, like grade-school gym again, frankly.

And while injury rates are not tracked, risks can rise when people jump into new exercise routines, Raglin says, especially for high-intensity workouts. Even elite athletes are careful to plan recovery and rest days.

If your goal is partly recreational and partly stress relief and partly enjoying yourself, he says, then focusing exclusively on high-intensity stuff may not be the right recipe.

Relying too much on a group for motivation can also set people up for failure if an injury, busy schedule or social situation distances them from the group, Dishman says.

The same goes for other motivators, he adds, such as the desire to lose weight, live longer or improve heart health. Exercise for far-off goals takes too much time to keep many people going.

Instead, Dishman argues, physical activity is most likely to become a lifelong habit when the desire to do it becomes part of a persons identity when motivation comes not from guilt but from a feeling that Im exercising because I see myself as an active person.

A social group or studio membership may provide a pathway to that identity, Dishman says. Eventually, though, satisfaction should come just from moving your body.

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Exercise is fundamental to good health. So why do few Americans ... - Washington Post

Idaho Statesman

Jason Wanlass: Exercise your body, and your mind will follow Idaho Statesman Patients diagnosed with depression have credited exercise with being an important element in comprehensive treatment programs for depression. It also appears that both a onetime exercise session and chronic exercise training programs have a positive ...

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Jason Wanlass: Exercise your body, and your mind will follow - Idaho Statesman

The annual Senior Resource Fair will take place on Thursday, May 25, from 9 a.m. to noon.

There will be information on programs and services are available to retirement-age people in Woodland and Yolo County. The event will be held at the Woodland Community & Senior Center, 2001 East St., Woodland.

More than 60 organizations who serve Woodland will be on-site to answer questions and provide materials, covering topics such as: health care, in-home support services, health and fitness, legal and tax assistance, support groups, volunteerism, repairs and chores, and much more. This information will be available between 10 a.m. and noon.

In addition, free informative presentations are available to hear more about improving brain health, legal issues, eating healthy and many more. The presentations will begin at 9:05 a.m., 9:40 a.m., and noon.

The YMCA Fitness & Wellness Center located within the Community Center has opened their doors to seniors for this event and welcomes you to try their full gym and try one of their many group exercise classes. Free exercise and fitness classes will be available for seniors to try including: Chair Balance & Stretch and Silver Cycle.

The event is conducted by the City of Woodland Commission on Aging and the City of Woodland Community Services Department.

Free Informative Presentations

9:05 a.m.: Being Mortal DVD Screening by Louise Joyce, Yolo Hospice; Brain Booster: Brain Health Promotion Cindi Under, Comfort Keepers; Dementia Symptoms and What to Do About It by Alice Moore, Citizens Who Care for the Elderly; How to Cover the Gaps in Medicare by Christopher Juten, HealthNet.

9:40 a.m.: Healthy Eating for Seniors by Jessica Hoefling, St. Johns Village; Music and Memory Program by April Carni, ApexCare; Prostate Cancer Best Practices by Harold Honeyfield, Yolo Prostate Cancer Support Group.

Noon: Do I Need a Trust? by Barbara Sonin, Sonin Law; How to Allow Your Body to Heal Itself by Sue Mazzoni, Awakening Wellness; Know the 10 Signs: Early Detection Matters by Denise Davis, Alzheimers Association; Yolo County Neighborhood Court Program by Nicole Kirkaldy, Yolo County Neighborhood Court.

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Senior Resource Fair coming to Community Center - Daily Democrat

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Kids of STEEL aims to help children form healthy habits Pittsburgh Post-Gazette So the Kids of STEEL duo of Mr. Fischer and Mr. Jones, on trips to schools for nutrition assemblies or exercise programs, tries to keep it simple when conveying that being healthy isn't hard. It's important, Mr. Fischer said, so kids can avoid health ...

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Kids of STEEL aims to help children form healthy habits - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Courtesy Photo Optimist President Mark Hulsey, right center, thanks Alpena Senior Citizens Center Director Annie Hepburn, left center, for presenting to the Optimist Club, along with Hepburns father, Butch Woloszyk, left, and BJ Sander, program manager, right.

Annie Hepburn, director of the Alpena Senior Citizens Center, addressed the Optimist Club of Alpena at a recent morning breakfast meeting. Accompanying Hepburn were BJ Sander, program manager at center, and Butch Woloszyk, Hepburns father.

Hepburn first told of her previous employment at Tendercare Greenview, where she was the social services director, before moving into the marketing end of the business and finishing as marketing director for Fortis. She also was a member of the Posen Chamber of Commerce, serves on the NEMCSA Senior Companion Advisory Board and is involved with the Alzheimers Association. She graduated from Spring Arbor College with a Bachelors Degree in Family Life Education.

Hepburn then told of all that is going on at the center, starting with the fact that they are trying to involve more youth in their programs because the two groups can both benefit from this interaction. She was excited to tell about a $200,000 grant they just received to begin a program involving the seniors and the students from ACES Academy about food preparation from the garden to the table.

The program will prepare the students for positions in the food industry. Another grant recently received was $500 from the United Way for a program called, How Rude. The program will focus on teaching proper manners and etiquette to youth in our area. The target date for this program is October 2017.

Another of the newer programs the center has been working on is transportation. Many of the seniors have difficulty driving and need to use public transportation such as the Dial-A-Ride buses. However, these buses quit running after 7 p.m. so if someone wants to attend a function later than that, the Senior Center wants to provide the ride home from the event.

They currently have a 14-passenger bus and two mini-vans that could be used for this purpose. Hepburn then told of in-home services offered by the center. Some of the services range from simple homemaker tasks like laundry and shopping, to personal care and companionship.

A new service is medication set-up. Some seniors have many pills to take at varying times and intervals. A contracted RN from the center will come to their home and help organize the medications so no doses are missed or taken too often. There are currently three clients using this program.

Hepburn added that a popular program at the center is the Medicare Medicaid Assistance Program. She said during the month of February they saved their clients over $59,000 in insurance and prescription costs. They also have kinship funds available to assist seniors who are raising their grandchildren.

Along with all these programs there are also many activities at the center for people of all ages, including card tournaments, bingo, exercise classes and meals.

Hepburn also noted that they are currently accepting nominations for the Alpena County Outstanding Older Citizen Award. If you know someone who is worthy of this award you are invited to submit a short essay of 250 words or less explaining why the nominee deserves the award. Take submissions to the center at 501 River.

Hepburn concluded by saying the goal at the center is to be the hub of resources for the seniors in the area by providing educational and social opportunities.

For information on any of these programs, call 356-3585, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or visit the website, http://www.alpenaseniors.com.

Out-of-door relief, properly managed properly managed, maam is the parochial safe-guard. The great ...

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Optimists hear from Senior Citizens Center director - Alpena News

Are youliving with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)? Then you know a flare-upcan land you in the emergency room.

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy

But you can take steps literally to avoid that trip by adding regular exercise to your weekly routine.

COPD is a family of chronic, progressive lung diseases that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The symptoms of COPD include shortness of breath, chronic cough, fatigue, wheezing and chest tightness.

These symptoms can make exercise a challenge. But whether your COPD is mild, moderate or severe, regular exercise will not onlyease your symptoms.It will also boost your quality of life, says pulmonologist Kathrin Nicolacakis, MD.

For mild COPD, Dr. Nicolacakis recommends alight cardio program, such as walking or swimming. Try to work up to 30 minutes a day, five times a week. This benefits you in three ways:

If your COPD is moderate or severe, a pulmonary rehabilitation program can be a life-changer, says Dr. Nicolacakis.The hardest part of my job is convincing people to go to pulmonary rehabilitation, she says. But Ive never had anybody who went to rehab who didnt love it.

An expert team helps get you up to speed with exercise. A respiratory therapist trained in exercise physiology first tests your exercise capacity. Then the team creates a program tailored to your needs.

Most pulmonary rehabilitation programs focuson breathing exercises, cardio exercise and resistance training. Typically, you participate in three weekly sessions for eight to 10 weeks.Once you complete the program, your exercise capacity is reassessed. The team then helps you develop a year-long exercise plan to sustain your progress.

Dr. Nicolacakissays the benefits of completing a pulmonary rehabilitation program are many and lasting:

Questionnaires from patients completing pulmonary rehabilitation programs attest to their improved quality of life. Patients report feeling better at the end of the program. They also have fewerhospitalizations than patients who dont complete rehabilitation, says Dr. Nicolacakis.

If youre not a candidate for pulmonary rehabilitation,regular exercisesuch as walkingwill still benefit you, she says.

If youre interested in pulmonary rehabilitation, ask your doctor to refer youto a program that follows American Heart Association guidelines. Choose either a COPD program or one that is staffed by people experienced in COPD, says Dr. Nicolacakis.

Exercise can seem daunting, but it can make living with COPD much easier. You may think youre not up it but you wont regret it, she says.

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Have COPD? Exercise Helps Keep You Out of the Hospital - Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic (blog)

Lisle, Illinois ~ When former Olympian and Pan American gold medal cyclist Tom Doughty made the decision to re-enter the world of competitive cycling, he reached out to Benedictine for help getting back up to speed.

A resident of Naperville, Doughty first came to the University in the late 1980s to improve his physical endurance through the Master of Science (M.S.) in Clinical Exercise Physiology Community Testing Program.

Now nearly 30 years later, Doughty is helping Benedictine expand its reach to more athletes after donating a Velotron cycle ergometer to the Community Testing Program. The unit, worth between $7,000-$11,000, is used by sports science labs and coaching centers all over the world to measure an athletes performance.

The lab at Benedictine is one of the few accredited facilities available to Chicago athletes, and I wanted to provide the additional Velotron bike to help serve more of those athletes, Doughty said.

The Community Testing Program offers VO2max (the amount of oxygen an individual can utilize during maximum exertion), resting metabolic rate and body composition testing.

These tests, which are administered by students under the supervision of Regina Schurman, Ed.D., administrative program director for the M.S. in Clinical Exercise Physiology program, can determine an athletes ability to perform sustained exercise, the number of calories necessary for a workout regimen and an individuals ratio of fat to muscle mass.

These lab classes prepare our students well for their internships at clinical sites in the area, Schurman said. It was a great experience for our students to have Tom in our lab because it isnt very often we have athletes of his caliber who come in for testing. He was also very helpful in assisting us with acquiring parts to repair one of our other Velotron bikes.

Doughtys earlier cycling career includes stints on various Olympic, national and world teams throughout the 70s and 80s. He was also the national time trial champion record holder for a 25-mile event.

Doughty has since used the Community Testing Program at Benedictine on multiple occasions and performed successfully in a number of races.

In 2014, he was the American Bicycling Racing Criterium champion in the 60 and older division.

Since I utilized a similar program at the beginning of my career, Benedictine seemed to be a natural place to establish some baseline capability measurements for the start of bike racing 2.0, Doughty said. The testing coupled with a good coach can provide the basis for training programs that will be effective almost immediately.

From my perspective, sports contribution to humankind is to provide a means and a method to improve a person via participation physically, mentally and emotionally, Doughty added. The study of physical improvement and the translation of that science into personal improvement is what Regina and the Clinical Exercise Physiology lab at Benedictine provides.

Benedictines two-year, adult evening M.S. in Clinical Exercise Physiology program is well-recognized by Chicago area medical providers for its rigorous biomedical coursework and was designed with input from a committee of practicing exercise physiology professionals in accordance with the guidelines designated by the American College of Sports Medicine.

In addition to professional preparation, the program provides an excellent educational background for those who wish to pursue further study to become medical doctors, physician assistants or doctors of physical therapy, or who want to earn a Ph.D. in exercise physiology.

We are very grateful for Toms generosity, Schurman said. This is just one example of how the relationships that our program has built with members of the surrounding community help enhance our students learning experiences.

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Former Olympian and Clinical Exercise Physiology test subject gives back to Benedictine - Benedictine University Newsroom

ESCANABA The Northern Lights YMCA Delta Center is kicking off its programs for the summer of 2017 on June 12. Currently registration is underway for the programs that will take place on the Bay College Campus and in some outlying areas in Delta County.

We are excited to roll-out the summer programs, said Hadele Peacock YMCA membership and marketing director. Our staff has spent most of the spring gearing up for this set of programs, many of which are new, she added.

Summer Youth Programs, which are led by perennial favorites Day Camp, and Swim Lessons, start June 12. The Day Camp program, for kids ages 6-12, runs Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and takes place at the YMCA. However, due to renovations to the Gymnasium, this year the program will begin and end the day in the Bay College Cafeteria. Some special field trips to various locations are scheduled in cooperation with the US Forest Service and Wildlife Unlimited Kids in the Woods program. Sign up for Day Camp is limited to the first 90 children.

New this year is the Summer Playground and Reading Program in Gladstone, for ages 6-10, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, June 12 through Aug. 11. This program is in cooperation with the Gladstone School District and Community Foundation for Delta County, and will be held at the Gladstone Recreation building near Jones School. Registration is limited to the first 25 children.

Summer youth programs will also include t-ball for ages 4-6, on Tuesday and Thursday evenings beginning June 13.

This program practices at the Wells Township ball diamond at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, and games are at 5 p.m. on Thursdays.

Learn to Golf, which will run Monday May 22 through May 25, will meet Monday through Thursday evenings at 5 p.m. Call YMCA Youth Coordinator Matt Gregory, after May 1, for further information on any youth program.

Beginning the week of June 12, swim lessons will offer instruction on multiple levels, for ages 3-12, at the YMCA pool in either morning sessions from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Monday through Friday, or on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from, 5:30 to 6:15 p.m.

Parent-Child lessons for children ages 6 months to 36 months, offered Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 to 11:30 a.m., will also begin the week of June 12.

The Northern Lights Swim Team will be offering a summer program and will meet on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. (Must be an annual YMCA Member to participate.) For more information on all swimming programs, call Aquatics Director Megan Gouin.

YMCA Adult Fitness programs will also begin the week of June 12. However, due to the gymnasium renovations, most YMCA Group Exercise classes will be held in the Bay College M-TEC building on North 30th Street. Gladstone Yoga and Gladstone Cardio classes will still be held at the Memorial United Methodist Church. Were very excited to be making the M-TEC our new fitness home, in this air conditioned and spacious facility, said Amy Fudala, YMCA fitness coordinator. Indoor Cycling (Y-Ride) classes will remain at the YMCA.

The cycling classes will meet on either Monday or Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., or Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at either 5:45 a.m. or 4:30 p.m.

The YMCA offers exercise classes for all levels of fitness, from beginner through advanced. For full information and class descriptions, visit the YMCA website at nlymca.com

Financial assistance to take part in YMCA programs, and to be a YMCA member, is always available through the YMCA Annual Campaign. A one-page application and all household income information is all that is required to apply.

For more information on summer programs, financial assistance, and other YMCA programs or membership call the YMCA at 789-0005. Full program information is available online at nlymca.com

GLADSTONE The Michigan State Police (MSP) Gladstone Post collected 44 pounds of prescription drugs during ...

GLADSTONE The Michigan State Police (MSP) Gladstone Post announces a Citizens Academy, which will start June ...

ESCANABA Bay de Noc Community College is seeking comments from the public about the college in preparation for ...

ESCANABA At the request of the Delta County prosecutor, a charge was dismissed last week against Paige Jerine ...

ESCANABA The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks recognizes May 1-7 as Elks National Youth Week. As part of ...

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YMCA posts summer program schedule - Escanaba Daily Press

Amy Neff Roth

Sometimes, a fall is more than a fall.

For too many seniors, its a life-changing experience that can precipitate a loss of independence and long-term health problems.

"The older you are and the more frail you are, the more likely that the fall could lead to long-term functional decline," said Diane Oyler, program officer for the Health Foundation of Western and Central New York, which has been partnering for years with community groups on programs, such as exercise classes and home assessments, to reduce falls. "You see that more and more in people who are much older, people who are getting into their 80s, for example. If you fall and break your hip, its harder to heal. Some older adults never fully heal and restore their functional health."

In the worst-case scenario, falls can, among the "very old," lead to nursing home placement, Oyler said.

Falls also are a common problem for the aging and the most common cause of injury among those age 65 and older in upstate New York, according to research by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. One in four seniors in that age group has fallen within the past year and, of those, 40 percent suffered an injury, Excellus found. The risk of falling and the risk of injury in a fall increases with age, according to Excellus.

The problem is more severe in an 11-county region that includes Herkimer County and the North Country. Seniors in those counties fall at a rate of 796 falls per 1,000 seniors age 65 and older, more than twice the rate of seniors in the Finger Lakes region 370 falls per 1,000 seniors and well above the state average of 455 falls, Excellus found.

That finding is of "great concern," said Dr. Richard Lockwood, vice president and chief medical officer for Excellus Central New York region, in a release. "But we frankly have no explanation for it," he added.

"Falling is not an accepted part of the aging process in any region," Lockwood said. "There are simple things that everyone can do right now for themselves and their loved ones to help reduce the incidence of falls and promote independent and active lifestyles."

Many factors and the interplay among them can lead to falls among seniors: general weakness, a lack of exercise, vision and hearing loss, medications, the interaction between medications, and trip hazards in the home, for example, Oyler said.

"Falls and falling is not a natural or normal part of aging," she stressed. "If you are falling, you should talk to somebody about that. Its not just because youre getting older."

And once the fear of falling takes hold, that can cause problems that increase ones likelihood of falling, perhaps because, for example, of gait changes to try to avoid falling, Oyler said.

So how can falls be prevented?

"We can and should encourage people to stay active as they age, keep their doctors informed about any issues with balance or vision, and eliminate easy tripping hazards around the house and yard to reduce fall-related injuries, emergency room visits and hospital stays," Lockwood said in the release.

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Falling can be a life changer for seniors - The Times Telegram

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