You’re Invited to Get Moving with “Walk with a Doc”

with Dr. Leila Borders

Dr. Leila Borders does more than talk the talk. She walks the walk, and she’s inviting the rest of the community to join her as she brings the Walk with a Doc (WWAD) program to town. Dr. Borders first came across the health initiative while working as a medical resident in Ohio, where the program originally started. It was the brainchild of cardiologist Dr. David Sabgir, who knew that even a little movement could help his patients enormously. In 2005, he invited his patients to go for a walk with him in a local park on a spring Saturday morning. Over 100 people showed and the rest, as they say, is history.

What started as a grassroots effort now has over 500 chapters worldwide, with the latest about to open here in Olympia, Washington, led by Dr. Borders of OOA. Every fourth Saturday, Dr. Borders will lead a walk and invites anyone and everyone in the community to join her.

“Walk with a Doc is a national program that is designed to get patients moving and get physicians out in the community in a non-medical setting,” says Dr. Borders. The simple idea is to meet once a month for a community walk. Each session kicks off with a brief discussion on a current health topic. The rest of the time is spent enjoying a healthy walk and conversation. The only goal: to add some movement into your day!

The walks are not intended to replace an office visit or to dispense medical advice. Instead, they’re simply about getting moving together. In the future, Dr. Borders hopes that other healthcare providers in the community will join the walks—she already has her physician husband lined up to join in on the fun.

Ten Reasons to Walk

1. Keeps your lungs healthy!
2. Strengthens breathing muscles
3. Helps with relaxation and stress relief
4. Curbs Junk Food Craving
5. Can Replace Medications for Better Sex and Sounder Sleep
6. Prevents and Reduces High Blood Pressure  
7. Reduces heart attacks by 86% (combined with healthy lifestyle choices)
8. Reduces risk of stroke by up to 50%
9. Enhances quality of life
10. Helps to manage arthritis

The First Walk

In order to accommodate social distancing, the first walk will be a virtual one. Dr. Borders is taking inspiration from dozens of other physicians around the country who are hosting virtual WWAD events to remain active and socially connected. 

Saturday, June 27th, 2020
Location: TBD (check our Facebook page for updates)

How to do it? Start by watching the first health talk Dr. Borders created. Then it’s time to go out for a walk! Here are a few reminders:

Practice Social Distancing

Either walk on your own or bring along a friend or loved one, but make sure you’re staying at least 6 feet apart from one another if you don’t live together.

 

 

Get Out in Nature

If possible, get outside for your walk! Walk around your neighborhood or head to a local park. Nature is good for you and your immune system.

 

 

Be Social
During your walk, feel free to call or FaceTime a friend or a family member. Prefer some alone time? Consider listening to music or a podcast while you walk.

 

 

Pump that Heart

Try to get your heart rate up, if possible. There’s no need to set any speed-walking records, but even a little bump in your heart rate can have positive health effects.

 

 

Will You Join Us?

As social distancing restrictions lift, the walks will transition to an in-person format so participants can get the social benefits of walking together in nature. They’ll be scheduled on paved surfaces so that those with assistive walking devices or children strollers can get in on the action. Until then, we’ll be using the virtual format. Will you join us for our very first walk on May 23, 2020?