LEXI FLYNN, 3, of Brunswick, plays with a Hula-Hoop on Wednesday at the Mall in Brunswick, as part of the Get Moving on the Mall monthly activities.
A new series of lunchtime events in Brunswick this spring and summer is aimed at encouraging those who live and work downtown to get up and get healthy.
Get Moving on the Mall, organized by the Brunswick Downtown Association, is an initiative of the Healthy Maine Streets (HMS) program. Get Moving occurs the second Wednesday of the month between April and September, where participants can find free fitness activities and learn more about healthy living. Mini Reiki sessions, healthy snack demonstrations, health education, free fresh fruit and Brunswick walking maps are available.
MARTHA SPRUCE of Hearts and Hands Reiki conducts a Reiki demonstration on her student and friend, Ernie Horan, on Wednesday during the Get Moving on the Mall wellness event in Brunswick.
Brunswick committee member Rebecca Drewette-Card said the program will help to improve the health of employees of small, downtown businesses.
“We’re focusing on increasing physical activity, and nutrition, and decreasing tobacco use,” Drewette-Card said. It’s a chance, she said, to “come out, try something new and be active with your co-workers and friends.”
The initiative is important for smaller businesses who can’t dedicate a person to develop wellness plans for their staff, said Caroline Kurrus of Cool As A Moose.
“I’ve learned a ton in the last year in how to develop a wellness plan” thanks to HMS, said Kurrus.
Parkview Adventist Medical Center spokeswoman Tory Ryden said those who live and work in Brunswick are generally more active than in other towns, but that Maine, as a whole, “has been hugely sedentary.”
Programs such as Get Moving on the Mall, she said, are an important tool that “retrains” people to have a more active lifestyle.
“You’ve got companies all along Maine Street and they’re just saying to their employees at lunchtime, get out. Go for a walk. Do what it takes to improve your health,” said Ryden, who was on hand Wednesday to conduct this week’s exercise, Tory’s Boot Camp Basics.
“It is about making it fun. You’re only going to stick with something if it’s fun, and if you like the people you’re doing it with,” said Ryden.
Get Moving on the Mall is free and open to the public.
jswinconeck@timesrecord.com
HERE IS A LIST OF future Get Moving on the Mall activities. All activities are open to all ages and abilities. Events take place from noon to 1 p.m. at the gazebo on the Brunswick Mall (weather permitting):
— June 11: Fiesta Fitness offered by Tony’s Fiesta Fitness
— July 9: Yoga offered by Jai Yoga
— Aug. 13: Gentle Yoga (noon); Pilates (12:30 p.m.) offered by Maine Pines
— Sept. 10: Zumba (noon); Functional Fitness & Flexibility (12:30 p.m.) offered by Maine Pines
Go to www.brunswickdowntown.org for more information.
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