Zumba is back! Ready to dance your way into shape? Please plan to start joining us for Zumba classes again! Every Wednesday at 4:45pm in the Motion Studio in our Administration/Welcome Center building.
Your first class is free! Please sign the attached waiver and bring to your first class or drop off in HR. You can purchase punch cards in HR as well for future classes.
Monica De La Rosa, from Life Enrichment, and Tara Bethell, from Human Resources, will be your alternating instructors!
The SAFER Stepping Fall Prevention Course has begun its third session and continues to offer residents targeted balance and leg strengthening exercises, as well as fall risk education and great tips for preventing falls. If you’re interested in signing up for the next fall prevention course this spring, call Jessica at x6110. For those who are also curious about less formal methods for building balance, consider the following two innovative ideas.
Studies show that dancing can improve balance and gait patterns. One study compared seniors who were social dancers with senior non-dancers. The social dancers averaged 80 years of age and danced four times a month. The study found that while the dancing seniors were not stronger than their non-dancing counterparts, they had better balance, safer walking patterns, and more confidence in their balance abilities. Another study of older adults participating in tango classes twice a week found senior tango participants did have better leg strength than a similar group who walked for the same amount of time each week. If you’d like to have fun at Beatitudes while improving your balance, you might try participating in Zumba Gold dance classes on Mondays at 2PM in the Motion Studio or Open Dance Floor in the Recreation Center every 1st and 3rd Tuesday at 4PM.
Another fresh approach to building balance and mobility confidence involves the use of walking poles. Nordic walking is walking with poles similar to ski poles. The use of trekking poles for Nordic walking can provide stability, improve gait length, speed and posture, reduce load-bearing weight on the knees, hips, and spine, and increase strength and endurance in the upper body, making walking a full-body workout. In fact, Nordic walking is widely used as an effective therapeutic walking technique for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. While Nordic walking, you should walk in an upright position and make sure you do not lean forward or backward. Your head should be up and looking forward. The poles are held close to your body with your elbows bent at approximately 90 degrees. When the leading foot moves forward, the opposite arm swings forward to waist height. The opposite pole strikes the ground level with the heel of the leading foot. Trekking poles can be purchased at most sports stores and in many camping departments at department stores. Test out your trekking poles with the morning walking group and take advantage of the beautiful weather! *
