a new season stay active program of the Zaragoza City Council It starts with three routes passing through the green areas of the city. The initiative gives another course after success in past editions. The last one, held between October and June, was attended by 4,427 people. The program will run until May 15 with 66 guided walks.

They are popular hikes for people over 55. They are held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The first circuit, which will be repeated every Monday at 18:00, starts from the bridge of Santiago and runs along both banks of the river. ebro. There will be a circular route around the area at 10:00 am on Wednesdays. big park, leaving the bridge of Cantautores. At the same time on Fridays, the route will start at the Volunteer podium and pass through the Expo environment.

These are the three alternatives launched from Zaragoza Deporte, with the cooperation of the Aragon Mountaineering Federation and the Os Andarines d’Aragón club, and sponsored by Caixa Bank. promoting physical activity among citizens of a certain age while valuing the urban and natural environments of the city.

All options are circular routes of 4 to 5 kilometers guided by a monitor and several volunteers. These are club members Os Andarines d’Aragonand as they explain, their presence motivates the participant and gives them the feeling of a controlled group that enlivens the practice. In addition, to make the trip more enjoyable and dynamic, responsibles can lead to the use of elements of the route itself, such as biologically healthy parks, life trails or stairs and ramps that complement the walk.

Physical and psychological benefits

Its purpose this year is the third edition of this guided walks program. Supporting and promoting active living habits as well as maintaining healthy behaviors for a specific age segment and to improve interpersonal relationships. In addition to this obvious physical benefit, Active Stays are also considered a positive tool in the psychological and emotional state of the participants. Contribution to this goodness is the realization of the activity by making use of natural or naturalized urban environments within the city. This dynamic is known as a green exercise and is very conducive to dealing with the situation even though the worst of the pandemic seems to be past.

Those who dare to repeat or those who want to try for the first time need nothing more than a decision to leave the house with suitable clothes and shoes and a desire to know. Zaragoza from a different perspective. These meetings are free to attend, include accident insurance, and do not require prior registration. All you have to do is be at the meeting point at the designated time and day. On Mondays, the appointment is at six in the afternoon at La Chimenea on the left bank of Puente de Santiago. During the tour you take the Voluntariado hiking trail along one bank of the Ebro, cross the river and turn to the other bank.

The meeting point of the walks on Wednesdays is the bridge of the Cantautores del Parque Grande. In this case it is 10 am and the entire park is covered for about an hour. The appointment on Fridays is also on the left bank of the river, in this case at the Volunteers pass. From there, a tour of the entire Expo environment is made.

Andarines

To ensure the safety of participants, the organization recommends: wear activity-appropriate clothing and shoes that protect from wind, cold and heat. You never know what the time is in Zaragoza, so before leaving the house it is very important to check the weather and adapt your clothes, they insist, wear comfortable sneakers as well as water and a hat for the sun. For more guarantee, it is recommended that everyone bring their cell phone and also give the monitor their first, last name and DNI so that accident insurance can be used if needed.

More women are participating and the average age is 67

According to data provided by the City Council, in the latest issue of Active Meetings, uthe vast majority of women (67% compared to 33% of men). In addition, although the event is open to people over the age of 55, the average age of participation is 67.4. More than 4,400 people attended the program last season, and close to a hundred participants gathered at the busiest marches.

“Many of them come with encouragement by their GP, and we drive far more people away from health centers with these walks than with many drugs.”

At each meeting, at least three observers, all volunteers from the Os Andarines d’Aragón club, accompany the group to join both the marchers and those in line, and ensure that everyone enjoys the route. Like this, it’s about encouraging people with a more settled life or less mobility to participate.. “Many are encouraged by family doctors, and we drive more people away from health centers with these walks than with many drugs,” they say of the club.

More than 12,000 people have attended the meetups since they were launched in December 2020. The initiative emerged in the midst of a pandemic with the aim of promoting healthy habits among a particularly vulnerable segment of the population..

“It was very successful from the beginning and it’s something the citizens demanded of us, so we have maintained that and hope to be able to maintain its continuity,” explains Cristina García, Member of the Sports Council of Zaragoza City Council. . In parallel, everyone can visit the green spaces. Zaragoza use on your own and whenever you want Routes AndaAnda mobile application from Zaragoza Anda route program.