Starting this Wednesday, July 29, the exercise and wellness promotion program will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. twice weekly until Sept. 4 for seniors ages 60 and above who are registered with the Yona/Talo’fo’fo’ Senior Center. The program will expand to other senior citizen centers after that.

Bingocize — an evidence-based program approved through the National Council on Aging — combines exercise and health information with the familiar game of Bingo along with an opportunity for fun and socialization. Each session lasts 45 to 60 minutes and is planned for two non-consecutive days of the week to provide the best regular health benefit to seniors.

“Bingo is already popular among our manåmko’ across the island, so we’re hoping to meet them where they are,” said Dr. Tim de La Cruz, who holds a doctorate in human services and runs the family resiliency programming at UOG Land Grant. “Our goals with this new program are to teach our seniors practical ways to be safer, healthier and to generally improve their quality of life.”

Bingocizers will learn about five different areas of health and wellness, including physical health, mental health, social health, nutrition, and hygiene. Each Bingo session will incorporate exercises that will improve participants’ functional fitness, including range of motion, balance, muscle strength, and cardio-respiratory endurance.

The sessions will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on July 29 and 31; Aug. 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 24, and 26; and Sept. 2 and 4. To participate, residents need to be 60 years or older and registered with the Yona/Talo’fo’fo’ Senior Center. There is no charge to participate and no prior registration necessary. For more information, contact Gabby Damian at (671) 735-2041 or ookag@triton.uog.edu.