Join TOA in celebrating National Walking Day

Jessica Webb

editor@thesmokymountaintimes.com

On Wednesday, April 5, Shannon Royce of Training the Older Adult (TOA), is inviting the community to get outside and celebrate National Walking Day. This is one of several events TOA has planned for April Fitness Month.

To join locally, meet at 2 p.m. at the Deep Creek picnic area for a 1-2 mile walk. If that doesn’t work for you, plan a 30-minute walk of your choice at some point in the day.

National Walking Day, celebrated on the first Wednesday in April, sponsored by The American Heart Association, is an effort to encourage all Americans to stretch their legs and get their hearts pumping for its many health benefits.

As far as fitness is concerned, walking can be underrated, but its benefits are numerous.

“It’s great for weight loss, there’s the social aspect to be out with other people getting fresh air, vitamin D,” Royce said, adding it’s also beneficial for your joints, muscles and even mental health.

Walking at least 150 minutes a week is a low-impact way of reducing the risk of diseases like heart disease, stroke, diabetes and several types of cancer.

“You don’t have to slave away at the gym,” to get those health benefits, Royce said.

Often, her clients say they walk for exercise. To increase the benefits, she has introduced them to adding resistance to their walks by the addition of a weighted vest.

“It helps with muscle mass and bone density, and you get a better calorie burn,” Royce said. “It’s an easy add-on.”

The rule of thumb for adding the vest is for walks of about an hour. For longer trips, people wear weighted backpacks with adjustable hip belts.

Royce’s trainer and mentor, Robert Linkul, introduced her to building muscle this way after she was injured three years ago after years of running.

She’s now rucking—walking or hiking with weighted rucksack or backpack— often. She started a local women’s GORUCK Club, the Smoky Mountain Ruckers, which meets every Sunday at 3:45 p.m. at Deep Creek.

Also, she has competed with the weights, starting with rucking a race in Lake Tahoe last summer. She kept training and is now back to racing as well.

“You want to build up, too. Don’t go too hard, too fast,” Royce warns. Start with just a few pounds then build up to more weight.

Screen for Sarcopenia

On Saturday, April 8, TOA will open the Bryson City studio, located at 344 Main Street, for a sarcopenia screening day. What is sarcopenia? The loss of muscle mass.

There are three big issues as we get older, Royce said, first is sarcopenia, second is osteopenia- the loss of bone density, and the third is obesity.

“It can happen to anybody, it’s just more prevalent for older adults,” Royce said.

There are three short tests for sarcopenia that will be conducted, including grip strength, a 30-second sit to stand activity and a chest pass, or throw, for distance from a seated position.

The answer to sarcopenia is resistance training and strength training.

Royce said she wanted to plan the activities, “just to raise awareness.”

Sometimes, it’s eye opening, she adds. For some, it’s a wake-up call to realize they could be at higher risk for falling and getting injured.

“There is something you can do about it, we can always do something,” Royce said.

TOA will also have Bring a Partner Week from April 10-14 at the studio and Free Community Workout on Saturday, April 22 for people to come to the studio and participate in some circuits.

She’s also looking forward to running a program at the Swain County Senior Center on Monday mornings from 10:30-11 a.m. that will include fun exercise activities. Royce is also partnering with the Swain County Cooperative Extension Office and the Ski Walking program, developing a supporting video on how to be “hiking & walking strong.”

To learn more, visit TOA or call (828) 260-2718.