Walk With Ease is a program designed to help people develop a walking routine, sometimes from scratch. The program is a service offered by the Arthritis Foundation, but it is not limited to those who have arthritis. Participants can start off at any level and increase their walking distance over a span of six weeks.

For more than a year now, Priyanka Kumar, the Membership Services and Volunteer Coordinator at Pasadena Village, has led the effort to make Walk With Ease available to the Pasadena community. Under her guidance, the program has completed four six-week sessions since its inception early last year. The program is completely free to all participants due to the generous funding from Pasadena Community Foundation, Rotary Club of Pasadena, and Rotary Club of San Marino. The walks have been held at several local parks, namely Michillinda, Lacy, Brenner, and Hamilton. A total of 50 walkers have participated.

Participation in the program includes a copy of the Walk With Ease workbook. The workbook stresses a basic five-step pattern: warming up; gently stretching; walking at “normal” speed; cooling down; and gently stretching again. The book also contains forms that the walker can use to track progress.

Following the workbook's guidelines, Priyanka begins each session by talking a bit about a portion of the workbook's content. Then she leads us on a warm-up stroll followed by some simple stretches. The next step is to walk at “normal” speed, as each participant walks at their own pace for a given amount of time, monitored by Priyanka. The session then shifts to a short cool-down walk, ending with another set of simple stretches. The parks provide a pleasant environment not only to exercise but also to chat with other participants.

Occasionally, a session includes a “special event.” For example, one walk featured a podiatrist who gave a presentation on proper footwear. At another, Meg Maryan, a Home Care Consultant from Home Instead, brought a balance scale that enables walkers to assess their risk of falling. Once the current session has ended, Priyanka plans to begin another six-week Walk With Ease program later this year. Keep reading the Voice of the Village for more information.

Walk With Ease leader Priyanka says of her experience: “Walk With Ease has given me a sense of fulfillment that I did not anticipate. As an avid walker, I appreciate that the program connects me with my roots. It also helps me grow by teaching me so much about good body posture, stretching, etc. And it brings me joy when I see someone, who could do just one lap at the session's beginning, become able to do two or more laps by the session's end. What a privilege!”

“I have learned that the most important thing in walking and in life is to take it easy and go at your own pace,” Priyanka adds. “Neither walking nor life is a competition. I also learned that keeping a positive attitude helps, because each day will be different. I fully believe in the Latin phrase solvitur ambulando (learned from our Board President Sue Kujawa). The expression translates to 'it is solved by walking.' Walking with small steps towards goals has solved most of my problems!”

So come and join the Walk With Ease group to rediscover the benefits of walking. If you can't join in the current session, you can sign up for the next one. Whether you are a Villager or not, you can expect a warm welcome.

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