LA CROSSE, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – Today (May 29, 2024) is National Senior Health and Fitness Day and La Crosse was one of many cities that participated on the day. First News at Nine’s Dashal Mentzel has more on the importance of seniors staying active.
The La Crosse County Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) is hosting the 7thNumber On Wednesday, the annual Senior Health and Wellness Day event will take place. The event changes locations each year, this year taking place at Train Park. ADRC Manager Carissa Pagel-Smith said the park has plenty of activities they can host to keep seniors active. “Often being active is the ability to connect socially with others, maintain or improve mobility, increase independence, maintain life at home and reduce the risk of falls.”
ADRC has set up several exercise programs for seniors at the event. “Drift Cycles will be here and will have bikes available for people to try out. The City Parks Recreation Program will be using the outdoor fitness space at Train Park to run their Fitness Lot exercise program. We also have equipment for pickleball. Amplify and Mayo will also be here and will be offering a variety of health screenings and evaluations.”
Pagel Smith was involved in bringing the event to La Crosse, and she says it’s important to emphasize the importance of being active. “Whether that means walking, biking, exercise classes, whatever that means, it’s important to give people the exposure and opportunity to learn about what our community has to offer. I think health promotion is especially important for seniors.”
The event also featured local groups and organizations who set up booths showcasing opportunities for seniors in the area. Pagel-Smith said ADRC is grateful for the local support because they couldn’t have done this on their own. “We’re really grateful to be able to provide an opportunity for other vendors and programs to come and share what they can offer. We can’t do everything. We don’t want to duplicate resources. So what is it that we can all offer at an event like this? People can come and check it all out.”
In La Crosse, Dashal Menzel will bring you the first news at 9 o’clock.
According to the La Crosse County ADRC, more than 1,000 organizations across the U.S. plan to host events for more than 100,000 seniors.
