Atlantic General Hospital’s Walk with a Doc program, offered monthly in Ocean Pines, allows Worcester County residents to improve their heart health, foray into regular physical activity, and get answers to medical inquiries all during a morning stroll.
The South Gate Pond in Ocean Pines is pictured.
Tara Fischer / Bayside Gazette
By Tara Fischer, Staff Writer
Atlantic General Hospital’s Walk with a Doc program allows Worcester County residents to improve their heart health, foray into regular physical activity, and receive answers to medical inquiries all during a morning stroll.
On the Walks with a Doc, residents can ask physicians questions while doing a few laps around the Ocean Pines South Gate Pond.
According to AGH’s website, Dr. David Sabgir conceived the concept in Columbus, Ohio, in 2005. The program has expanded throughout the country and commenced in Worcester County on Jan. 21, 2017.
AGH Community Education Clinical Coordinator Alyce Marzola said the hospital system holds the event at 9 a.m. on the third Saturday of every month. Anyone is welcome to join.
“You don’t have to sign up; you just have to show up,” the nurse said.
The program directors switch out the physicians as much as possible. If there is a dedicated awareness month, they want to pull in the doctors most involved in that field. The summer walks often include talks of sun safety, while the flu vaccine is a fall topic.
The monthly meetings typically draw ten to 12 participants. Often, other walkers join when they notice the group.
“We are coming out into the community where the people are,” Marzola said. “It’s a laid-back setting. You get to see your doctor in shorts and tennis shoes. It’s a regular conversation. We walk and talk…and you get to know some of your physicians in a different light.”
Residents are also getting their daily recommended movement as they are given the chance to ask their providers medical questions in a more casual environment.
The Walk with a Doc’s official forum outlines the advantages of regularly hitting a step goal. The low-impact exercise, which the American Heart Association cites as the physical activity with the lowest dropout rate, strengthens bones and muscles, regulates blood pressure and cholesterol, lowers the risk of several types of cancers, and helps to maintain a healthy body weight. Walking can also ease stiffness, reduce stress and anxiety, improve mood, aid cognition and creativity, and improve overall quality of life.
AGH states that walking is accessible for people of every age and fitness level. The activity is easier on the joints than running, safe for individuals with heart and orthopedic ailments, and beneficial for those over 20% overweight. Taking extra steps in a day may also aid longevity. Research suggests that two hours of life can be gained for every hour of regular exercise, the hospital system said.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults engage in 150 minutes of moderate to intense aerobic activity per week, while children should aim for an hour a day. A simple 20-minute walk can help individuals reach this goal.
To determine if your activity is considered moderate to intense, the Walk with a Doc program outlines the “talk test.”
“If you can talk but not sing, you’re at the right pace,” the website says.
Individuals looking to rack up more miles can walk to work, start and end their day with a stroll, park further away in lots, take the stairs instead of the elevator, and do some laps while talking on the phone.
Marzola maintained that the AGH Walk with a Doc is a great way to start. “It’s a good community event,” she said. “…We have a following, and people are working on staying healthy. It helps that they encourage each other.”