By Julia Boyle
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

At the conclusion of Erickson Retirement Communities’ seventh annual, monthlong Walking Challenge in September, Seabrook residents and staff were standing strong and ready for more.

“I walk for an hour and a half every day, every season,” says resident Paul Silberbogen. “So when the Walking Challenge came along, I signed up because that’s what I do anyway.” Silberbogen has participated in the event for the past two years. This year he logged nearly 3,000 minutes for Seabrook’s resident division.

Tough competition
This year Seabrook faced tough competition. In total, 1,484 Erickson residents from 15 of the company’s 17 currently open communities participated. Seabrook contributed the fifth highest number of participants with 139, just one person shy of tying with Oak Crest, in Parkville, Md.

“We’ve always had good participation and placed very high in the challenge,” says Regina Kamenel, Seabrook’s wellness coordinator. Seabrook’s staff has scored first place for the past six years but took second to Eagle’s Trace, in Houston, this year.

Health benefits abound
Kamenel says the challenge promotes the health benefits of walking by encouraging people to increase the number of minutes they walk a day. Participants in the Walking Challenge record the number of minutes they walk specifically for exercise. According to the rules, they may include minutes walking on treadmills, aquatic walking in the pool, and walking while golfing.  Ineligible minutes include walking to a dining room, sightseeing, and shopping.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, regular moderate-intensity physical activity, such as walking, improves health and well-being and reduces risk of developing diseases. Walking also enhances mood, especially when done outside in the sunshine and fresh air.