May 29 is National Senior Health and Fitness Day, and you don’t want your older friends and relatives to miss out. More than simply a day to work up a sweat, SHaFD is an opportunity to start a new, healthier life. It’s a chance to connect seniors with programs and resources that can move the needle on health and wellbeing. It’s also a way for older adults to meet like-minded friends, through institutions that work to serve aging populations.

Those are all good reasons for a senior to participate in SHaFD. The national event is designed to help people become healthier and better connected with their communities. If you can communicate this vision to your older friends and family, you’ll have a good chance of getting them to participate.

It’s important for people who are hesitant to understand that SHaFD isn’t very demanding. In fact, it’s an event aimed at beginners. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t been to the gym in 30 years, or ever! Participating in SHaFD is simply a way to take a step in the right direction.

Here are some places in your community that are likely throwing events, workshops, and classes on Senior Health and Fitness Day 2019:

• Banks - Banks have tons of older customers, and older adults still visit their local branch regularly. For this reason, they tend to gather helpful information about local health resources for this day.

• Gyms and Health Clubs - This one’s obvious. Most gyms have plenty of intro-level adult fitness classes. The gift of a monthly gym membership can make a big difference for an older adult you love.

• Houses of Worship - Local churches, synagogues, mosques, covens, and sacred sweat lodges frequently provide informational resources about SHaFD for their congregants, sometimes even having events and classes available onsite.

• Hospitals - Being healthy is the best way to stay out of the hospital, but look for resources about SHaFD here anyway.

• Malls and Shopping Centers - Local events will be advertised here, and some may be scheduled onsite.

• P&R Departments - The “Recreation” side of the Parks and Recreation Department will have plenty of information about SHaFD.

• Retirement Communities - Even if your senior friend doesn’t live in a retirement community, these centers are usually the nexus of local SHaFD activities.

• Aging Agencies and Departments - Any governmental agency that attends to the needs of seniors will have information and events related to SHaFD.

So what can you expect from local SHaFD programming? Many gyms and fitness centers will have promotional membership prices for new senior members. If an older adult is interested in joining a class or center, May 29 would be the time to get the best deal. SHaFD can be a great time to look for local get-togethers, as well. There will probably be at least one local cookout that’s free for all, and enjoyable even for those of us who aren’t very fit (yet). If you play your cards right, SHaFD can be a great way to meet friends, new and old, without even having to break a sweat.

Even if you’re not a senior yourself, take the time to connect with someone you love who is. Also let SHaFD serve as a reminder that it’s always a good time to make a new commitment to health and fitness, no matter your age or health status. Even if you don’t hit the demographic criteria for SHaFD, you can still approach most of these event centers for information about how to improve your own health. One way or another, days like Senior Health and Fitness Day are good for us all.