Say hello to Joshua and his friend Maria (ages 55+)

They are both retired. Joshua had a heart attack and Maria has arthritis, but they needed to put physical activity back in their lives. Their doctors suggested walking would be good for both of them, so they thought about giving it a try together. Here’s what they do now. In the morning they usually walk in the park for 20 minutes. In the winter, they go to the mall and walk there, making sure to walk up the stairs to the second level whenever possible. They use elevators a lot less now than they used to. In the afternoon, they go to their local Y and join in physical activity periods with other seniors for about 30 minutes. Maria really likes the line dancing even though her arthritis prevents her from doing all the steps. Joshua likes to lift light weights and encourages Maria to do it with him for a bit -- sometimes she does it for 10 minutes. Sometimes they do T’ai Chi together. Household chores help make up the rest of their 60 minutes of physical activity each day.