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On many
days, the beagle and I walk half a mile to
meet our younger son, Eric, after school.
If it
has been a hectic day or if he's anxious to
get home, Eric asks, "Why can't you drive? Why
do we have to walk?"
"It's
too nice to drive," I answer. "Besides that's
why we have legs."
Now I
can tell him that walking puts us in the
forefront of what could be a Broome County
trend.
United Health Services and the Broome County
Health Department are trying to get us on our
feet and help us form a lifelong fitness habit
with the B.C. Walks campaign.
The
idea is to start slowly -- just 10 minutes of
brisk walking daily -- then work up to the 30
minutes a day recommended by the Centers for
Disease Control.
Since
B.C. Walks began May 1, more than 4,500 area
residents have pledged to start walking, some
35 businesses have agreed to start walking
programs, and nearly 2,000 prescription pads
for walking have been given to physicians,
says Pat Fell, director of community health
services for UHS Hospitals.
We
have to get moving to combat obesity, diabetes
and associated health problems, Fell says. A
New York State Health Department survey says
57 percent of adults in New York are
overweight. Since 1984 the obesity levels of
children 6 to 11 years old has risen nearly 10
percent, according to the CDC.
And
an estimated 30,000 children nationwide have
Type 2 diabetes, Fell says, adding, "The
effects of this in 15 or 20 years are scary."
B.C.
Walks, funded by the CDC, is patterned after a
similar trial program in Wheeling, W.Va. The
idea was to see if a two-month mass media
campaign promoting walking could change
people's exercise behaviors, Fell says.
It
did. A study showed that 23 percent people
began walking because of the program, Fell
says.
If
the two-month walking program succeeds, it
could be replicated in other parts of the
state, Fell says. She adds she'd like to see
it continue here.
That
should be no problem, with the support of
folks such as Paula Norton, physical education
teacher at Charles F. Johnson Elementary
School in Endicott.
Students from kindergarten through third grade
will be walking one day a week during recess,
25 faculty and staff members are competing for
most minutes walked, and pedometers are in
demand, Norton says.
In
addition, the second-graders are walking half
a mile each day, then adding their mileage
together to try to equal the 395.2 miles
between New York City and Buffalo. Fourth- and
fifth-graders are competing to see how many
times they can equal the 1,860 steps it would
take to climb to the top of the Empire State
Building, Norton says.
It's
so easy. It's a no-brainer. "You don't have to
go to a gym and sweat or buy expensive
equipment," Fell says. That's why I like
walking. All you need are two legs and a
little time.
Fell
says that the ingredients for a healthier
lifestyle are simple, as well. "Eat healthy,
don't smoke, do physical activity and have a
relationship with a good friend," she says.
Sounds like a winning combination.
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