A Plea for Help with An Ariticle I’m Writing
I’m in search of interview subjects for an article I’m working on for Sacramento Magazine.
It’s a piece about gentle exercise and how gentle forms of exercise may be the best option, particularly if you have chronic health issues such as arthritis, asthma, bad back, heart problems, etc. I would like to interview people who have a medical condition like this, and who have managed to incorporate a gentle exercise into their health regimens (and have benefited from doing so). I want interviewees who have taken their health condition seriously enough to be dedicated to their own management and/or recovery.
Interview subjects must be residents of the greater Sacramento area. I’ve already got a line on an older yoga instructor and someone who is recovering from a severe back injury.
I would especially LOVE to interview people with health problems who do the following:
* someone who practices tai chi or other GENTLE martial art
* a belly dancer
* a swimmer
* a dedicated walker
* a water aerobics devotee
Any/every (adult) age, gender, sexual, or ethnic identity is welcome. I always do my best to reflect Sacramento’s diversity in my work as much as possible.
Here is a brief article description:
Gentle Exercise—Although it’s fun to read about people who train to run marathons in their 50s when they never exercised before, many people just aren’t going to do that. Here’s a guide for people who are really out of shape, are elderly, or have physical problems, such as bad knees, weight problems, high blood pressure, asthma, arthritis, etc. The article will cover how to get started in a gentle exercise routine safely, what questions they should bring up with their doctor before they embark upon any new exercise regime, what types of exercises are ideal for various chronic health issues, who might benefit from choosing a gentle exercise to increase their overall wellness (elderly, young people whose bodies are still developing, pregnant women). I will be discussing benefits that range from the purely physical to the emotional/psychological. I will also be covering specific easy-on-you, low-impact exercise modes such as tai chi, yoga, race walking, water aerobics, etc., in a sidebar.
Please let me know if you think you might know someone who would fit the bill. Please contact me BEFORE you discuss the article with this person. I prefer to decide if an interviewee is appropriate for the piece before s/he is promised an appearance in the magazine.
Thanks very much!
April 3, 2006 at 3:57 pm
try sunrise mall, they have a walking program. Lots of folks do laps of the mall for exercise.
April 4, 2006 at 9:37 am
It just occurred to me that you might want to get in touch with the folks who run the gym I used to go to called Savvy Fitness in Folsom. Paul Wright is one of the owners, a very nice and accessible person.
Savvy does a lot of therapeutic (sp?) fitness work with people who are recovering from surgery, etc. I remember Paul saying they teamed with local doctors, etc. Their weight equipment was a little different looking as it was all meant to be more gentle on the back, etc. Trainers would work with people in all different states of recovery; it wasn’t uncommon for me to see people at the gym in casts or those wild-looking pin cages, etc.
Maybe Paul could give you some leads, at least. Good luck.
April 6, 2006 at 12:13 pm
My mom might be a good candidate – she has bad arthritis and is part of a ladies walking group. Lemme know if you’re interested. Also 650 Fitness in the Arden area is a physical therapy/gymn.