Beating the winter blues at Downsview Services for Seniors.
Regina Pozzebon walks with fellow seniors at the Downsview Services for Seniors Beat The Winter Blues walking event at Northwood Community Centre. Wednesday.
Staff photo/DAN PEARCE
They arrive solo or with friends, eagerly anticipating the weekly social – and health – benefits the walking club offered by Downsview Services for Seniors provides.
On this particular Wednesday morning in January, some 25 older adults gather inside the gymnasium at Northwood Community Centre, near Keele Street and Sheppard Avenue, a warmer alternative to walking outside in cold months.
After a few minutes of light cardio and stretching, the men and women are off, some walking with the aid of walking poles, others pushing their walkers. Some race around the gym alone, while others stroll at a leisurely pace with friends.
For Liz Kiddie, the walking club provides a great way to stay in shape during winter, when people are inclined to stay indoors.
"It's a lovely group," she said. "I think it's excellent exercise and it increases stamina. In the winter it gets you out, there's another world out there. There's a lot to be seen and heard."
Nedda Lash joined the club about a year and a half ago after retiring from her teaching job.
"My blood pressure went down, I have better balance," Lash said of health improvements since lacing up her sneakers. "It's getting out. It's setting the routine for the day. Winter is a really lonely, sad time and this group is very social. There's always a bond in learning things together."
With a catchment area bounded by Steeles Avenue, Bathurst Street, Briar Hill Street and the Humber River, Downsview Services for Seniors offers many different programs and activities to help keep the aging population active.
From ballroom dancing, to yoga, to Latin dance and fitness classes, the programs run Monday to Friday, mainly out of Northwood Community Centre and The Hangar inside Downsview Park.
And when the temperature dips, participation in the walking club rises.
"In the summer people spend a lot of time outside, but in the winter they'll make the trek out to walk," said Jeff Gruchy, supervisor of Downsview Services for Seniors' Healthier Living Centre. "It's the social inclusion aspect. People want to be around their peers so they make and extra effort to come out in winter. It's a nice social atmosphere."
Downsview Services for Seniors' programs are open to adults aged 55 and older who are physically independent with no cognitive impairment.