RHINELANDER - Walking. We all do it without thinking about it, right? But there is a right and a wrong way to walk.

The Oneida County Department on Aging and Health Department's "Walk With Ease" Program is all about getting senior citizens moving.

Brenda Husing, RDCD, Oneida County Health Department, says, "It's a program that incorporates not only exercise, but also motivation techniques in dealing with all the different barriers people have, and helping them to overcome that."

62-year-old Robert Tjensvold says he's lost three pounds with the program and says his hip pain is virtually gone. He says the program has helped him learn the right and wrong ways to walk. He tells us, "You can't just get up and go walking. You have to stretch-get your body used to the movement and then you have to start your walking. Then you have to cool down and stretch also."

Jolene Schirmacher, Walk with Ease Instructor, says "A lot of people think if they're in a walking class they have to half run or they have to be swinging their arms or they have to keep up with the crowd; and everybody in this program does their own pace."

Walkers learn about wearing the right gear and how to walk on different terrains. They are also given educational workbooks provided by the Arthritis Foundation to help outline their walking goals.

Husing says, "Walking is a great exercise because its low impact. Its cardiovascular and it can also help with weight management."

Tjensvold adds, "I feel terrific. I feel that I'm on my way down in weight. I do need to lose quite a bit and that possibly might let me get out of the diabetes altogether; so that's what I'm working for."

Working for a healthier future, one step at a time.

You can sign up for the Walk with Ease program at the Oneida County Department on Aging. The program runs for six weeks.

Story By: Asavari Phadnis