East Oregonian : E.O., January 04, 2020, WEEKEND EDITION, Image 17

E AST O REGONIAN
WEEKEND, JANUARY 4, 2020
NEW YEAR, NEW YOU
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
This runner was among the dozens of people who welcomed 2020 by participating in the Resolution Run at Riverside Park in Hermiston on New Year’s Day.
Small steps can be key to
making health goals stick
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
H
ERMISTON — For mil-
lions
of
Americans,
December is a perfect
storm for weight gain.
Christmas
cookies
appear at work and a host
of mint-chocolate candies
beckon from the shelves
of the store with a prom-
ise that they won’t be available for much
longer. Holiday parties fi ll every week-
end with fatty meals and calorie-laden
alcohol. Days off work between Christ-
mas and New Year’s make it easy to sit,
sit, sit and eat, eat, eat.
Now we’re all a little heavier than we
were before.
Making a New Year’s resolution to
exercise or eat healthier can seem like
the obvious next step, but many people
struggle to turn that idea into a lasting
lifestyle change.
Chris Madrigal, wellness coordi-
nator at Good Shepherd Health Care
System in Hermiston, said one of the
important things to do is take small
steps at a time, focusing on consistency
instead of overdoing it, and then getting
discouraged.
“Don’t go in cold turkey,” he said.
“I tell people, you didn’t get unhealthy
and out of shape in one day. It’s going to
take some time to reverse it, too.”
Madrigal, a certifi ed personal trainer,
helps teach wellness classes hosted
by Good Shepherd, such as Work-Out
Herd. The free exercise class will run
Mondays from 5-6 p.m. at the Dance
Unlimited studio in Hermiston starting
Jan. 13.
While purchasing exercise equip-
ment or a gym membership and going
it alone is certainly better than not exer-
cising at all, Madrigal said taking a
class or working with a personal trainer
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Hermiston High School cross-country coach Troy Blackburn and several of his run-
ners lead the pack after the start of the Resolution Run at Riverside Park in Hermis-
ton on New Year’s Day.
can help people make sure they’re exer-
cising safely and effectively.
Having a workout buddy or buddies
to keep you accountable also helps.
“People like being part of a team,
part of a tribe, so to speak,” Madrigal
said.
The team aspect is part of what
inspired the Resolution Run, and
annual fun run/walk at Riverfront Park
in Hermiston each year on New Year’s
Day. There’s no stopwatch, no registra-
tion and no requirement to stick to the
route — just an opportunity for people
to share in a healthy kickoff to the new
year.
Tim Beal, one of the organizers, said
one of goals of the event is to help con-
nect people with someone who might be
interested in running or walking with
them in the future.
“Trying to just grit it out and do
everything yourself, I think we know
that for most of us that is not sustain-
able,” he said.
Beal said another hurdle to exercis-
ing can be cold, dark, wet weather that
makes it diffi cult to do outdoor activi-
ties. Finding ways to stay fi t year-round
is important, and so is fi nding forms of
exercise you enjoy.
“A lot of people choose an exercise
they don’t like, like running, and that
can be a big barrier,” he said.
For some, disabilities, age, injury or
other health issues can also cause prob-
lems. Madrigal said when he teaches
classes at Good Shepherd he helps peo-
ple learn to modify traditional exercises
to fi t their needs.
Jessica Reker, community health
educator for Good Shepherd, listed
other classes that will be offered in
spring of 2020, and one is a “Balance
Matters” six-week course offered Jan-
uary through March, plus a condensed
seminar in April on preventing falls.
The classes will include goals of
increased activity for participants and
exercises to improve strength and
balance.
Reker said she has also heard from
members of area senior centers that they
would like to see a “chair yoga” class
that offers the benefi ts of yoga to seniors
who might not be up to more traditional
poses on the fl oor. Chair yoga is also
sometimes used by professionals who
like to stretch at their desk.
Staying active is important in all
phases of life, but for seniors it can be
especially important to maintain their
health and brain function. The Alzhei-
mer’s Foundation of America recently
released a list of suggested healthy res-
olutions for 2020. They include eat-
ing well, staying active, learning new
things, getting enough sleep, paying
attention to changes in how medications
are working, stopping smoking, limit-
ing alcohol, staying socially connected,
knowing your blood pressure, seeing a
doctor and getting screened.
Reker said other classes offered
by Good Shepherd this spring aren’t
always obvious “exercise” classes, but
can help. Learning how to live with
chronic pain, improve quality of sleep
and manage stress can help people feel
ready for exercise.
“If you’re just stressed out and can’t
manage that, you’re never going to
make those goals,” she said. “You’re just
going to feel overwhelmed all the time.”
For those who aren’t interested in
participating in classes or events, such
as the Resolution Run, there are still
plenty of things they can do on their
own.
Making a goal to trade your car for a
bicycle more often can provide benefi ts,
as can hitting one of the numerous hik-
ing and walking trails around Eastern
Oregon. YouTube and other websites
offer exercise tutorials, and small steps
like parking at the back of a parking lot
or taking the stairs instead of the eleva-
tor can add up.
Madrigal said exercise can lead to
changes in physique, but it is vital to
pair it with better nutritional choices as
well to make lasting changes in overall
health.
“If you do not have your nutrition in
check, you’re just kind of spinning your
wheels,” he said.
“DON’T GO IN COLD TURKEY. I TELL PEOPLE, YOU DIDN’T GET UNHEALTHY AND OUT
OF SHAPE IN ONE DAY. IT’S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME TO REVERSE IT, TOO.”
Chris Madrigal, wellness coordinator at Good Shepherd Health Care System in Hermiston