Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/877397
Get up, stay active BY GEOFF KIRBYSON Sitting is the new smoking. As crazy as that may sound, recent studies show that a sedentary lifestyle can have as big an impact on your health and wellness as smoking cigarettes. Move over, Marlboro Man, make way for the Tablet Teens. Perhaps even more troubling, says Karin Whalen, director of community services at the Wellness Institute, is for the first time ever, the lifespan of the up-and-coming generation is less than that of its predecessors. A focus of Active Aging Day is to ensure that older adults do not fall into the same trappings. "If you don't use it, you'll lose it," Whalen said. Whalen is overseeing Active Aging Day on Sept. 26 at the Wellness Institute's 1075 Leila Ave. location, adjacent to Seven Oaks General Hospital. This free annual event is part of Active Aging Week and showcases a growing effort from professionals in the health and wellness field to help people maintain or develop an active lifestyle that they can follow their entire lives. This year's version will feature speakers, exhibits, demonstrations and an activity area. There will be spin classes (stationary bikes), walking with Nordic walking poles and even hearing tests. This year for the first time, the Wellness Institute's rehab and sports injury clinic will open its doors so people can meet their team of physio-, massage and occupational therapists. There will even be a farmer's market selling fresh produce outside. The expected 400 visitors will be welcomed by the Wellness Institute's active-aging ambassadors, a peer-nominated group who demonstrate a healthy lifestyle on a daily basis. "They'll show people around. They come from all walks of life. The super-fit ones are doing eco-marathons while others provide a more traditional example. People can see them and say, 'this is achievable. I can do some things to improve my health and maintain an active lifestyle. If they can do it, so can I,'" she said. Contrary to the belief of some, the Wellness Institute, a medical fitness facility, doesn't cater primarily to octogenarians. In fact, the 6,500 members that use its fitness facilities come from all ages and demographics, starting at age 16. 6 ACTIVE AGING WEEK | SEPTEMBER 24 - 30, 2017