ANDOVER — In an effort to get residents active during the winter, a local woman is holding walking seminars three nights a week at the Andover Elementary School.

All Andover residents are welcome to go to the school at 6:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, Denise Hurd said. There, she’ll use a Leslie Sansone walking DVD to spur people on.

Hurd said that about six years ago, she was asked by several residents where they could work out in Andover during the winter months.

“I told them that they could either go to Bethel or Rumford,” she said. “It was around this time that the recession had started to take a grip on this area. I started thinking that there should be a place for Andover residents to work out in the winter.”

Hurd said she asked the town Recreation Committee if it would be willing to sponsor an indoor walking seminar at Andover Elementary School.

“I figured that every school has a TV and a DVD player, so as long as someone was there to unlock the doors, set it up and lock the doors, the town would be OK with it,” Hurd said.

Hurd wanted to find a trainer to lead the seminar but soon learned that everybody she wanted to hire would be too expensive.

“I did a lot of the legwork on setting it up, but all of the trainers I wanted would need to be paid,” Hurd said. “I decided to do it so people could have a place to go and wouldn’t have to spend money on gym memberships during the winter.”

Hurd said the indoor venue keeps people from having to walk on the sidewalks.

“We have really nice areas to walk in Andover during the spring and summer, but in the winter, our sidewalks aren’t in very good shape,” Hurd said. “We have a lot of elderly walkers who would have a hard time walking around with the roads the way they are,” she said.

“The way I see it, indoor walking isn’t just about the physical benefits you get,” Hurd said. “It’s also the social aspect. You get to see townfolk three days a week, and meet people you may not know as well.”

Indoor walking will end April 30.

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