The University of Texas at El Paso has entered into an agreement with the City of El Paso to expand its Physical Fitness in the Golden Age exercise program to the Gary Del Palacio Recreation Center, 3001 Parkwood Drive, on the East side.
The city council approved the agreement during its Sept. 9 meeting. The contract begins immediately and lasts until May 31, 2015. The new site will provide senior citizens with a supportive environment where they can stay limber, strong, healthy and independent, said Sandor Dorgo, Ph.D., associate professor of kinesiology and the program’s director.
Seniors age 60 and older with a doctor’s note stating they are healthy enough to start an exercise routine are invited to register for the program starting with an open house from 8 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Sept. 30, at the Del Palacio center. Participants will have exclusive access to the center for 90-minute classes starting at 6 and 7:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Oct. 7 through Dec. 11. The cost will be $60.
Participants will use the center’s equipment as well as items transported to the center such as medicine balls and resistance bands. Exercises will be done under the supervision of certified kinesiology graduates and undergraduates doing their fieldwork.
“Our mission is to increase the physical activity and physical function of the region’s older adults,” said Dorgo, an international expert in the fields of strength training and conditioning. He started the UTEP-based Golden Age program in 2006.
The University’s Center for Civic Engagement, which encourages community-based teaching that enriches student lives, facilitated the establishment of the contract, said Azuri Gonzalez, the center director.
Tracy Novak, director of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, said the city always looks for opportunities to enhance its programs and sees this partnership with UTEP as a way to address a growing need among older adults.
The most recent U.S. Census Bureau numbers show that of the approximately 170,000 people who live in the center’s adjacent neighborhoods, almost 27,000 are age 60 or older and those numbers are expected to increase. Studies have shown that people who exercise their bodies and brains enjoy longer, healthier and more productive lives.
For more information about the program, visit goldenagefitness.utep.edu.