UAMS Center on Aging-Northeast Offering Free ‘Walk With Ease’ Classes Jan. 22 in Harrisburg
| The Center on Aging-Northeast in Jonesboro, a program of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), is offering Walk With Ease classes at no cost to participants starting Jan. 22, three days a week from 10 a.m.- 11 a.m. at the Harrisburg Senior Life Center, 300 Fairgrounds Road in Harrisburg.
Pre-registration for the six-week, Arthritis Foundation Walk With Ease course is required. For more information, contact Melissa Blaske at 870-207-7595 or email mblaske@uams.edu.
Walk With Ease is a structured walking program that teaches participants how to safely make physical activity part of their everyday life. It is designed to help people living with arthritis better manage their pain and is ideal for people without arthritis who want to make walking a daily habit.
“Research shows that walking is not only good for joints, but also helps improve the health of the heart, lungs and bones,” said Melissa Blaske, R.N., outreach coordinator for the UAMS Center on Aging-Northeast. “Walking can also help manage weight, which can reduce one’s risk for arthritis in the knee, heart disease and diabetes. If you can be on your feet for 10 minutes without increased pain, you will most likely have success with Walk With Ease.”
Walk With Ease offers support, information and tools to help participants develop successful exercise routines. A free walking guidebook will be provided to participants who register early for this class. Participants will learn proper stretching and pain management techniques, as well as build stamina and walking pace. The program can be modified to meet the needs of individuals so each person can develop an exercise routine that fits their goals.
The information and strategies taught in the Arthritis Foundation Walk With Ease Program are based on research and tested programs in exercise science, behavior change and arthritis management.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute and Institute for Digital Health & Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise including its hospital, regional clinics and clinics it operates or staffs in cooperation with other providers. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. U.S. News & World Report named UAMS Medical Center the state’s Best Hospital; ranked its ear, nose and throat program among the top 50 nationwide; and named six areas as high performing — cancer, colon cancer surgery, heart failure, hip replacement, knee replacement and lung cancer surgery. UAMS has 2,727 students, 870 medical residents and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.