Wellness Corner: Summer walking program gets sisters "Going Places"

More links for the FSPA News section
Perspectives Media Center Thea News Archives

More links for the Archives subsection

Wellness Corner

Summer walking program gets sisters "Going Places"

by Bernice Olson-Pollack

Bernice Olson-Pollack, left, and Rumiko Ishido demonstrate good walking techniques.

The "Going Places" summer walking program, provided by St. Rose Convent's Wellness Center, was initially created as the focus of an internship for an exercise science graduate student from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Rumiko Ishido. The 28-year-old Japanese exchange student has lived in La Crosse since 2002. Rumiko is a member of the YMCA, where she met St. Rose's Wellness assistant, Bernice Olson-Pollack, who works there a few hours each week.

In her conversations with Bernice, Rumiko discovered the unique population of older adult women with whom Bernice was working at St. Rose. The individualized exercise programs and group fitness classes offered to the sisters each day intrigued Rumiko. She was quite impressed with how these women in their advanced years appear to be much more physically independent than a typical adult their age. Rumiko was hoping for an opportunity to supplement her classroom studies with some hands-on experience with such an elite group. She inquired about a potential internship through the summer months as a volunteer in the Wellness Center physical therapy department.

Tips for Walking the Right Way

by Rumiko Ishido
Having the correct gait pattern for walking is important; it maximizes the benefits of the exercise and minimizes the risk of injury. Here are some tips:

Align your knees with your hips and ankle joints
Be sure your body displays an overall symmetry.
Swing your arms rhythmically to counterbalance your legs.
Make sure your hips are level.
Mimic a feeling of "walking tall."
When walking, your heel should be the first part of your foot to make contact with the ground.
When stepping, "roll off" the toes, ending with the big toe.
Take steps of equal length.

Other tips:
Invest in a good pair of walking shoes. Remember that shoes wear out on the inside first, so if you think yours look okay despite having a lot of miles on them, you may be doing your feet a disservice, which will radiate to your knees and back.

Minimize your impact level by landing on your heel with your forefoot raised. Then, push off your forefoot in order to prevent injuries caused by landing flat-footed.

It was the first time in Bernice's eight years of working in the Wellness Center that she was responsible for the development of a required educational experience for a university student. Bernice's new role as a mentor to Rumiko gave her the incentive to structure some ideas she had wanted to implement with the sisters. Bernice felt that the walking enhancement exercises she coordinated with Rumiko fit well as a valuable experience for Rumiko and a necessary activity for the sisters.

Rumiko was eager to demonstrate the simple therapeutic exercises that would help maintain or even enhance the sisters' levels of physical independence. She also expressed the desire to hone her English speaking skills while she was an exercise instructor-in-training for the sisters. Rumiko appreciated the informal conversations these intelligent older women shared with her. It gave her the chance to get to know them better and absorb each sister's wisdom.

The term "Going Places" was meant to sound portable. The practical exercises demonstrated to the sisters by Rumiko were designed to travel easily along with them as they visit their friends and family throughout the summer. It was most often a car that got the sisters to and from their destinations. Once they arrived, though, it was perhaps their ability to walk with confidence, sit, stand or get out of bed each morning independently that were significant elements contributing to the enjoyment of the sisters' trips.

In her experience at the Wellness Center, Rumiko learned an important lesson as she presented exercises and wellness promotion information to the sisters. "Going Places" was really an inventive way to invite the sisters to consider all aspects of their physical activity that would, in turn, support their overall quality of life.

Click here to return to the Perspectives page.

Printer-Friendly Page