By Patricia Bogumil
Editor
Does this sound familiar?
“If you exercised more, then you’d feel better.”
“If I felt better, then I’d exercise more.”
Frank Konieska is out to give a little nudge to people stuck in the middle with that kind of mindset.
Konieska, the vice president of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 921 in Rochester, is helping get people moving along the Racine County walk/bike trail located behind The Bunker, at highways 20 and 36, outside Waterford.
In May, Chapter 921 joined with the Veterans Administration in Milwaukee to sponsor a “Move Out” program for the west end area.
Participants exercise on the walk/bike path or elsewhere as they see fit, then are welcome to check in with Konieska and other Chapter members every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. inside The Bunker.
There, after sign-in, vital statistics like weight and blood pressure are checked and recorded. Each individual’s “score card” goes home with its owner. Only the sign-in sheet is handed back to the VA so it knows how many people are participating.
The new local program has been averaging about seven people per week, ranging in age from mid-30s to late-70s, said Konieska.
“We’re hoping it will take off a little bit more but we’re happy with the core group we have now,” said Konieska.
For those who join, there are some nice freebies like a state-of-the-art pedometer to use in a personal fitness plan, and also some solid information to go along with it.
“This program is not just for veterans,” Konieska added. “Anyone who wants to participate is more than welcome.”
The idea behind Move Out is for people to live healthier lives, he explained.
They can do this by eating less, burning an extra 200 calories a day through exercise and even adding another 500 steps to a walking plan each week.
The pedometers and “score cards” are tools for tracking each individual’s fitness history and progress.
Fourteen Move Out programs are running around the area, including one in Racine and two in South Milwaukee, Konieska said.
“We are probably the furthest one out from Milwaukee,” he said. “The VA was happy to get us, because we’re right by the bike path.”
The VA is funding the Move Out program. Chapter 921 receives a $200 annual stipend for helping run it.
Konieska noted that Move Out is a year-round program, with outdoor exercise easily available here in the fall and winter because the walk/bike path is kept clear for use during all months.
For more information or to join, drop by The Bunker any Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.; or contact Konieska at (262) 534-6236 or Mike Fischer at (262) 366-2715.
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