Celebrating the Day With a Brisk Walk Wednesday Was National Senior Health and Fitness Day, After All.

By MAGGIE FITZROY

After walking at a fast clip for almost a mile around the Fleet Landing retirement community in Atlantic Beach Wednesday morning, 85- year-old Al Hoefer said he felt great.

So did some of his neighbors, Ali Baker, 85, and Marge Crawford, 87.

Crawford said the long community walk, which celebrated National Senior Health and Fitness Day, wasn’t a big deal.

“We do it all the time,” said Crawford, who takes daily walks around the community carrying 2-pound weights.

Several thousand older Americans were expected to celebrate the nation’s 15th annual fitness day for seniors.

The day, organized by the Mature Market Resource Center and recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration on Aging, is always on the last Wednesday in May, which is Older Americans Month.

The day that celebrates healthy lifestyle habits was created to help keep older Americans healthy and fit through community walks and other health promotions.

At Fleet Landing, a daylong health fair followed the walk, and many residents went there for a variety of health and fitness assessments, including blood pressure checks and height and weight measurements.

Health care professionals also assessed their balance, endurance and strength through activities that included a timed, six-minute walk and weight-lifting exercise for the arms.

At one station, fitness instructor Sandy Callihan counted how many times and how fast Marilyn Heberling could get up and down from a chair.

“We want to see what their needs are, and what programs need to be developed,” said Callihan, who teaches seven classes weekly at the wellness center, including aerobics and yoga.

“Our mission is to keep them well and maintain their independence as long as possible,” said marketing assistant Connie Wheat, who went along on the walk.

The community’s new wellness director, Deb Goin, said the community is developing programs for all seniors in the community, who vary greatly in their fitness levels.

Daily activities include boot camp, which is “rigorous,” and “soothing moves,” which is for people just beginning to work out, or those in wheelchairs, Goin said.

They also have circuit training, tai chi and a breathing exercise called “oxy-size.”

Hoefer said he exercises at least twice a week, doing aerobics and lifting weights, and that helps keep him fit, “or so my doctor tells me.”

Hunter Smith, a retired family practice physician who did part of the walk using a walker, said bringing awareness to the importance of health and fitness is important because “preventative medicine is still the best medicine to practice.”

After the six-minute walk, Carolyn Walker had worked up a sweat. Her husband, Dick waited to go next.

“We walk around the lake every day,” she said.

She came to the health fair “to see whether or not I can hold my own,” she said with a smile. “I’m not getting any younger.”Maggie FitzRoy can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6320.

(c) 2008 Florida Times Union. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.