By KATHLEEN GEST
In support of senior wellness, the Traverse City Senior Center's award-winning "Amazing Race" is back for its third year.
The adaptation of the popular CBS reality show was launched in 2008 to promote a healthier lifestyle for seniors and give them a boost from winter doldrums.
Although the lifespan of the average American has increased dramatically, older adults' knowledge of their nutritional and physical needs has not kept pace.
As people age and changes in metabolism and body composition take place, it is essential for them to keep an eye on food choices and physical activity. Eating well can help a senior stay healthy and independent. Even though we've known for some time that exercise is good for people, older seniors have been left out of the picture until recently.
Today, we have new information that confirms, no matter what your age or physical condition, exercise and physical activity are beneficial to your health and well-being.
The "Amazing Race" was the inspiration of Director Lori Wells and Program Coordinator Pat Thompson to keep seniors active during the winter months with an entertaining and informational competition.
Last year, the senior center received the Prescription for Better Health Award from CVS Pharmacies for their adaptation of the "Amazing Race." The award was given for the most innovative, easily replicable wellness program for seniors. The senior center received $1,000 and CVS Pharmacies flew Thompson and Wells to Las Vegas for the acceptance.
"We competed with senior centers from all across the country. There were winners from each state and from that we won the national award," Wells said. "Other centers about the country are now doing the 'Amazing Race' as a result of our program."
In support of our troops, this year's final destination for the senior center's "Amazing Race" is Afghanistan, 6,770 miles from Traverse City.
Instead of countries or cities as destinations, the senior center uses businesses or nonprofit organizations, designated in the race as partners.
Each partner is responsible for one week during the race, where the participant will be able to stop in and take part in a challenge or detour, earning miles toward the final goal of Afghanistan. Each partner represents some aspect of health, nutrition or exercise.
At the beginning of the race, each participant will be given a passport, which will include an introduction to the race program, the weekly list of partners, a log for the miles earned and ways in which to earn extra miles. When the participants arrive at each week's designated location in Traverse City, they will have the chance to pick an envelope for either a challenge or a detour (or they can choose to take on both options for extra miles).
Every challenge and detour focuses on physical exercise, nutrition or education and is designed so anyone can participate. Once the challenge or detour has been accomplished, the passport will be signed by the business or nonprofit and "miles" for that segment of the race will be awarded.
"The program is specifically designed to appeal to all audiences. The challenges are geared to the more physically active person and the detours are more educationally focused, something that is not a physical excursion," Wells said. "Sometimes the detour is used to educate the participants about the business or nonprofit partner."
"The businesses have responded quite favorably to the 'Amazing Race,'" Wells said. "It is getting the consumers -- the potential customers -- directly into their establishments ... The Great Lakes Therapy House Calls is our presenting sponsor and they have been with us from the first year. They provide the T-shirts the participants wear."
This year's partners include Curves on Hammond Road, Nourish, The Traverse City Golf Center, Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau, TBA Career-Tech Center, Beltone at the Grand Traverse Mall, Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, Glen Eagle Retirement Community and Fast Fitness. The final week, when participants turn in their miles, the gathering will be held at the Cottage Cafe.
"The good thing about the 'Amazing Race' is it gets people out and doing things they ordinarily wouldn't be doing," said Evelyn Lambert, 75, the 2009 winner. Last year's final destination was Las Vegas. Lambert accumulated enough miles to take her there and back about four times.
This year's goals for the senior center's "Amazing Race" are to accumulate enough miles to reach Afghanistan, to educate seniors about community agencies and businesses that offer healthy living options and, most importantly, to empower seniors to take control of their health.
Orientation for the senior center's "Amazing Race" is on Thursday, Feb. 4, at 9 a.m. at TBA Career-Tech Center's World Class Cafe, 880 Parsons Road. The race encompasses 11 weeks from Feb. 4 through April 21. Registration is limited to the first 100 participants.
"We do ask seniors to be members of the Traverse City Senior Center to participate in the race," Wells said, encouraging non-members, who would like to participate in the race, to become a member.
For more information and to register, call the Traverse City Senior Center at 922-4911 or e-mail lwells@tcseniorcenter.com.
Kathleen Bellaw Gest grew up in the Traverse City area, where her great-grandparents had settled in 1864. She attended Michigan State University and graduated from the University of Michigan with a major in Journalism. She is a freelance writer, who has been published in several local publications. For more about the Traverse City Senior Center, go to www.tcseniorcenter.com.
