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Loretta Hido, center, Front Desk Supervisor of Member Services at the LECOM Medical Fitness and Wellness Center, joins Erie-area seniors in a Zumba exercise class as part of the 16th annual National Senior Health & Fitness Day at the center. More than 100 seniors from the Erie region participated in the event. For more pictures of the event, click here.

On May 27, more than 100 Erie County senior citizens joined an estimated 100,000 older adults in the nation’s largest health promotion event for older adults.

The LECOM John M. & Silvia Ferretti Medical Fitness & Wellness Center hosted fitness and healthy lifestyle activities for Medicare-eligible adults seeking to get fit and stay healthy as part the 16th annual National Senior Health & Fitness Day. The center was one of more than 1,000 locations across the country offering fitness activities as part of Older American Month. LECOM joined with UPMC for Life to bring the program to Erie.

Older adults from Erie County began the day participating in health screenings and fitness tests while learning more about their overall well-being. Following the screening process, participants took part in Zumba exercise classes; Tai Chi classes; a healthy lifestyle education lecture conducted by James Lin, DO ’02, MS (Med Ed) ’07, Vice President for Senior Services and Adult Living at Millcreek Community Hospital; and tours of the new state-of-the-art medical fitness center.

"No matter what level of physical fitness, older adults are always encouraged to participate in activities like National Senior Health & Fitness Day as part of their healthy lifestyle,” said Michael Hyek, PhD, director of the LECOM Medical Fitness & Wellness Center. “The Wellness Center helped provide unique ways to make exercise fun while increasing the awareness of the benefits older adults will receive from participating in a regular exercise program.”