AARP and Walk with a Doc collaborate for health

AARP Virginia and Walk with a Doc have collaborated to begin a new chapter in Haymarket, starting Sunday, Oct. 22.

Walk with a Doc offers free doctor-led walking groups in communities around the world. These ongoing events allow participants to safely walk, learn about current health topics, and meet new people.

The public is welcome to attend the upcoming walk, and the meet up location is Dominion Valley at 5235 Merchants View Sq. Haymarket, Va. Participants will gather at the Living Hope Seventh-day Adventist Community Church parking lot. AARP will be on site. Dr. Astrid von Walter, an obstetrician-gynecologist and lifestyle practitioner, will be leading the walk.

In addition to the Haymarket chapter, there are also established chapters in Winchester and Vienna.

The founding of Walk with a Doc
Walk with a Doc began in 2005 by Dr. David Sabgir, a cardiologist in Columbus, Ohio. Sabgir was frustrated that many of his patients were living sedentary lifestyles. Knowing that seven out of the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States are related to sedentary lifestyles, he began searching for an effective way to begin motivating his patients to become physically active. He started inviting his patients to join him walking at a local park, and the rest is history.

Walk with a Doc now has 528 chapters around the globe, with 12 in Virginia. “The walk begins with a discussion on general health information, such as the importance of getting a flu vaccine, and then goes from there,” said Rachael Habash, chief operating officer of Walk with a Doc.

While the doctors do not give specific advice on any particular participant’s health, they do talk generally about different health topics and allow the opportunity for questions. Habash said the socialization and connection to community provided by these events are as rewarding as the health benefits.

Walking reduces heart attack and stroke susceptibility, increases heart and lung fitness, decreases high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stiffness and diabetes and improves balance and strengthens bones, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Each chapter commits to walking at least 12 times throughout the year in a nature setting to get the positive mental health benefits associated with walking in natural settings. “The surgeon general has talked about social isolation and its connection to disease,” Habash said. “Walking together outside with programs like Walk with a Doc can be part of the solution to this health crisis.”

The difference volunteering makes
“There are 900,000 physicians in the United States, but we have only reached a small fraction of them,” Habash explained. “We don’t believe there’s a saturation point. There are Starbucks on every corner. Why can’t there be a Walk with a Doc on every corner? Our mission is to get this in as many communities as possible to create opportunities for movement wherever and however we can.”

Last year, Walk with a Doc partnered with AARP in six underserved communities with the intent to address the disparities in access to care and health information. African American physicians served as role models for healthy lifestyle practices, supporting the development of long-term sustainable healthy living behavior and social connectedness. The outreach was so successful that they are replicating it with eight more communities this year.

“The beautiful part of this partnership with AARP is that AARP markets really well what opportunities are available in communities. They’re really embedded in community so they can help us get the word out and grow to impact more lives,” Habash said.

Because all the doctors involved with Walk with a Doc volunteer their time and expertise, there is mutual respect and appreciation for AARP, which is heavily volunteer-based, she added.

One doctor who offered his time for his patients to improve health 18 years ago has grown this program into an international movement, and is redefining the future of what doctor-patient touchpoints can look like.

To learn more about the Walk with a Doc program and how to start a chapter in your community or find a chapter to participate in, visit their website.

For information on upcoming Haymarket walks, visit: https://walkwithadoc.org/join-a-walk/locations/haymarket-virginia/