Western Sierra Medical Clinic (WSMC) invites community members to register for Walk with Ease, a new six-week program designed to help individuals go “from couch to walking” at a self-monitored pace.

The program meets three times a week and begins Monday, October 29.  Classes are held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 12:30 – 1:30 pm at Miners Family Health Center, and will run through Friday, December 7.

Walk with Ease was created by the Arthritis Foundation and is ideal for novice walkers, those wishing to begin a fitness program, or those slowed down by pain.

Classes will be led by trained instructors Danielle Yantis and Tom Morrissey, and will include brief educational talks on topics such as proper form and health benefits, followed by warm-up stretching, a self-paced walk and a cool down.

“This program can help individuals regain some of their mobility while reaping the many health benefits of walking,” says Yantis, a Registered Dietician at WSMC. “I also see it as an important tool for individuals embarking on a weight loss program or interested in finding other individuals who have similar health related goals.”

Participants will be supported to gradually increase their walk-time from 10 minutes to 30 minutes throughout the series. A program guidebook is available with customized walk-for-fitness routines, stretching exercises and heart-rate monitoring techniques.

This program is funded by the California Arthritis Partnership Program.  Pre-registration is requested and can be made by contacting Jessica at (530) 273-4984×1 or jessicaf@wsmcmed.org.