Oklahoma Healthy Aging Initiative is a non-profit organization under the Department of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa. OHAI’s purpose is to offer various types of free programs for caregivers, care receivers, active older adults and health care professionals. Walk With Ease was developed by the Arthritis Foundation and a class for those who are just beginning their journey to fitness. Walk With Ease is a free virtual program that will increase health benefits in the comfort of your own home.
Before starting any exercise program, it is important to consider basic questions about your health and health status. It is especially important to assess your risk if you already have particular health conditions. Walk With Ease is a virtual walking program that is a walking guide for better health, improved fitness and less pain. This class offers practical advice on how to walk safely, overcome challenges and strategies in order to encourage you to keep walking. Walk With Ease helps increase balance, strength, and walking pace. Walk With Ease participants have noticed various health benefits such as improvement in mood, boosts energy, reduces stress, and builds stronger bones.
Walk With Ease is a terrific first class to register for in order to learn more about exercising and how to implement it into your daily life. Walk With Ease has four components:
1) walking
2) health information
3) exercises and
4) motivational tips and tools.
Whether you try this class on your own or in a group, this program model is set up as a six-week program for walking. Walking isn’t the only component of this class. In order to help you feel safe and successful, Walk With Ease offers health information, exercises and motivational tips and tools. Each participant will receive a handbook before class starts to help guide you throughout the class.
Walk With Ease has provided many health benefits for those who have participated in this program. This class provides various ways to implement what you have learned into your everyday life. OHAI’s free virtual programming is created to help and encourage everyone. If you are interested in joining this class or to learn more information, please reach out to us via email to Education Director, Devon Murray (devon-murray@oushc.edu) or Education Specialist, Lindsay Mitchell (lindsay-m-mitchell@ouhsc.edu).
