We need to get moving, Louisville. As The Courier-Journal recently reported, Louisville ranked 49th for fitness among the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas in the 2014 American Fitness Index conducted by the American College of Sports Medicine.
The index showed that only 26 percent of Louisville-area residents meet federal aerobic-activity guidelines, which recommends 150 minutes each week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity.
We get it. We all lead busy lives and it can be hard to find time to exercise. But we have to make time and schedule opportunities to be more active if we want to improve our health. Doctors included.
One of the ways we are making time to be active is through Walk with a Doc, a free nationwide program that empowers people to improve their health through physical activity by exercising side-by-side with their health care providers. Nationally, 75.2 percent of participants get significantly more exercise since starting Walk with a Doc.
In Louisville, monthly Walk with a Doc events are held the second Saturday of each month at the Egg Lawn at Beckley Creek Park at The Parklands of Floyds Fork; every third Saturday of the month at Iroquois Park at the shelter near the Amphitheater; and every fourth Saturday of the month at Shawnee Park, gathering at “the strip,” which is the midpoint of the walking path on the river side of the park. All events begin at 10 a.m. and last about one hour.
KentuckyOne Health also hosts Walk with a Doc events in Bardstown and London, Ky. You can find out more walk details at kentuckyonehealth.org/walkwithadoc.
These Saturday morning walks are fun and informative. Walkers have the opportunity to learn about important health topics, ask medical questions in an informal manner and receive free blood pressure checks. In fact, to encourage a walking habit, people who Walk with a Doc three times earn a cool tech walking shirt. Furthermore, Walk with a Doc helps improve the health of our community by taking out the intimidation of exercising and encouraging physical activity among people of all ages.
Walking is an ideal, low-impact form of exercise. You don’t need any special equipment, just a pair of comfortable shoes. Walking also has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity and the benefits to your health are immediate and significant.
Walking helps to control weight and reduces your risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Just 30 minutes of walking a day can improve blood pressure and blood sugar and elevate mood, and reduce risk of osteoporosis, cancer and diabetes. In fact, all illnesses have the potential to improve with exercise.
Let’s not settle for a ranking of 49. We challenge you to join us for Walk with a Doc at a park near you and take a step toward better health. Bring friends and family or come alone; we promise you’ll find lots of friendly faces and plenty of encouragement along our route.
Deborah Ballard, M.D., M.P.H., is an integrative medicine physician at KentuckyOne Health Healthy Lifestyle Centers, and Kelly McCants, M.D., is professor of medicine and director of cardiac transplantation at the University of Louisville and KentuckyOne Health.