Keep Your New Year's Resolutions!

Did you know Evergreen Park & Recreation District (EPRD) offers 86 fitness classes a week?

Photo by Morgan Barnes 

With 27 SilverSneakers® classes, 11 water exercise classes and 48 fitness classes on tap, as well as state-of-the-art exercise equipment and miles of trails, there's no excuse not to stay fit this winter! We also now have six night classes available for those who are busy during the day to choose from. 

Some highlights of EPRD's winter class schedule:

POUND
POUND, a full-body cardio jam session inspired by drumming, launches Tuesday, Jan. 23. It uses weighted drumsticks called "ripstix" and taps to the beat of great, motivational music while improving strength and flexibility. It will put a smile on your face! Learn about POUND.

Photo by Rock Steady Boxing

NEW! Rock Steady Boxing
Rock Steady Boxing, for people with mobility problems, especially Parkinson's Disease, empowers patients to fight back against the condition. Parkinson's is a chronic progressive neurological disease marked by tremor of resting muscles, rigidity, slowness of movement, impaired balance, and a shuffling gait. 

Studies show that rigorous exercise that emphasizes gross motor movement, balance, core strength and range of motion can help Parkinson's patients slow the disease's progression and improve their daily living skills. Rock Steady uses heavy bags, speed bags, and boxing gloves, and is aimed at every age group, including the elderly. Even patients in wheelchairs can benefit, says EPRD's Fitness Specialist, Susan Wescott.

"I personally just feel that the mental aspect is the biggest benefit," says Susan, who recently got certified to teach Rock Steady Boxing. We can say we are kicking Parkinson's butt. That's why we are here: to fight back!"

Learn more at rocksteadyboxing.org.

Strong by Zumba
Strong by Zumba offers a fat-burning, muscle-toning plyometric workout set to music.

Photo by Annie Coppock

Yoga
New yoga classes include Yin Yoga (a gentle, restorative class, with a slower pace and lingering postures), Yoga Nidra (deep meditation and emotional cleansing), and no-cost Yoga for Veterans (free, especially helpful for those suffering from PTSD).

SilverSneakers
A wide variety of SilverSneakers classes and outdoor excursions (XC skiing, hiking and more) keep older adults fit and healthy and provide fun social interaction. 

Nutrition
Getting Started with Nutrition, to teach you to manage your nutrition for weight loss, gains in fitness, and better health metrics

This is just the tip of the iceberg! Indoor cycling classes help cyclists keep in shape over the winter. EPRD's weight rooms and cardio facilities help the cardiovascular system, muscles and bones. A huge variety of classes, from TRX to water aerobics, provide something for everyone. Deals on passes and punch cards can reduce your daily admission to just a couple of bucks a day. There's no excuse not to stay fit this winter!

See the complete class list.

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How Disabled People Can Stay Active

By Guest Blogger Travis White

Playing sports and staying active is natural to people. More than that, it’s basically a necessity. There are the obvious physical benefits to staying active such as getting fit, building muscles, and avoiding obesity. But there are mental benefits as well. Learning teamwork and how to rebound after a loss are vital life skills.

But many people with disabilities think that opportunity is closed to them. They think that, because they are differently abled, they cannot participate in sports and similar activities. Thankfully, that is simply not the case. Sure, being disabled means you may not be able to do exactly what other people do. But with some accommodations and a little help, you can stay active even if you have a disability. 

Image Source: Pixabay

The Benefits Of Activities

Some people look at activities like sports and just think they’re an amusing way to spend the time. That’s true, but staying active has many more benefits than just avoiding boredom.

In terms of physical health, people who are active tend to have better hearts, blood pressure, and muscles. They also have lower rates of obesity, better flexibility, and coordination, all of which can be helpful depending on your specific disability. But there are a lot of social and mental health benefits as well.

Participating in activities with others can help someone make more friends, build a sense of accomplishment, and improve depression. That’s especially true for people with disabilities, as they can sometimes feel excluded from society as a whole. Even the physical benefits of exercising and staying active can help with your mental health, as people tend to have more self-esteem when they are physically fit.

Bridging The Gap

How can someone with a disability participate in these activities? While it depends somewhat on the activities in question, there are a few accommodations to make.

Part of the problem is one of perception. People with disabilities can sometimes think their condition prevents them from enjoying activities. That’s because there are often too few adaptive programs designed for them. If you’re not aware of how to participate, it’s easy to think you cannot and it can be hard to bridge the gap between thought and action. 

A great way to help with this is goal setting. This means setting challenging but realistic goals for yourself. For example, making a slam dunk might not be feasible given your disability, but is that really the most important thing about basketball? Take time to think about what really matters, such as making friends, getting exercise, and exposing more people to those with disabilities. Then make goals to reach those.

What About Service Dogs?

Some people with disabilities have service animals, with service dogs being the most common by far. Can people using these friends stay active? It might not always work, but the answer is normally yes.

First, sports facilities cannot ban service animals. As long as yours really is a service animal and not just a pet, you can bring your dog to basketball courts, field houses, and more. But if your service dog helps you get around and stay grounded, then there’s little reason why that cannot happen while staying active as well.

Get Out There Today

There are unique challenges to staying active faced by people with disabilities. That said, getting out there and enjoying the benefits of physical activity is not just possible — it can do some very good things for you.

Travis White writes about food in his spare time. He enjoys showing LearnFit visitors how to cook restaurant-quality meals at home.

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