Walk your way into fitness
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Pecan Park Elementary School fifth-graders enjoy the school's walking track in this file photo.
It’s free, most anyone can do it and it’s one of the easiest ways to start a fitness routine.
“Walking is a wonderful mode of exercise,” said Dr. Chad Rhoden, director of preventive medicine and health promotion at Baptist Health Systems. “The benefits are tremendous, and there are only a small percentage of individuals for whom walking is not appropriate.”
He listed some of those benefits for people who walk: Lower incidence of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis. “It can even add years to your life,” he said. “The list of benefits goes on and on.”
It also includes quality of life benefits. Cassidy Lee Anderson of Jackson and his roommate Mark Bonner try to walk every evening through the downtown area, taking in the sights and talking to people along the way.
“We walk beginning on Madison Street — we live in Belhaven Heights — and walk all the way down to the King Edward hotel,” Anderson said. “It’s three or four miles. Downtown Jackson is the most pedestrian-friendly city I’ve ever walked in. The sidewalks are in perfect condition, and the streets are shaded by trees or buildings.
“The way it’s set up, the street grid makes it perfect for walking.”
Most of the folks they pass along the way “appear to be professionals just off work, or maybe people who are retired and are waiting for the temperature to cool down before they get out,” he said.
They started walking just to enjoy the city, but now do it for health reasons, too. Ask Rhoden, and he’ll say that’s a smart decision.
“It’s a wonderful choice for maintaining a good fitness level,” he said. “There are limitless venues for walking … it should certainly be part of a daily routine.”
The minimum recommendation for physical activity, he said, is 30 minutes a day, five days a week. You can do it incrementally, “at work, at home, during lunch breaks, when running errands or it can be done in your neighborhood,” he said, or you can get the full day’s worth in one jaunt.
Set a goal, and stick to it.
If you have joint problems or other discomfort, he said, you should talk to your doctor first. But for most of us, walking is safe and “has tremendous health benefits.”
“Primarily, walking has the greatest benefit on reducing heart disease,” Rhoden said. “Being physically active is one of the most important ways to prevent or control high blood pressure.”
And exercise, of course, can help with weight issues. “Obesity contributes to a number of conditions, including heart disease and joint problems,” he said.
If you do walk, make sure to stay hydrated, especially in Mississippi’s hot, humid environment. And Rhoden recommended a stretching routine beforehand, a warm-up period and a cool-down period as part of the workout. Comfortable shoes are a must, and it helps to have a friend walk with you or to be part of a group.
And have fun while you’re at it.
“It’s one way to enjoy Jackson,” Anderson said. “There’s not a lot of night life there, and restaurants to attract you to downtown. Walking has given me a reason to be there. I go and enjoy the architecture and scenery and all the things people should be getting out of downtown Jackson.”
Crime is not an issue, he said.
“There are no people downtown” in the evenings, he said.
On a recent walk, Anderson left home around 7 and was back by 8:30 or 9 p.m. On Sundays, nothing’s open, but during the week, “there’s a place on Amite and Congress, a restaurant and bar where you can eat and drink. It closes around 10. There’s a crowd sitting at the outside tables, and we run into them.”
“People are really missing out on a great opportunity here,” he said.
