When it comes to public health, walking might seem like a rather pedestrian topic. But health experts say it’s an important issue, and that historically segregated neighborhoods with high poverty rates have much lower rates of walking, but much higher rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic ailments.
In Rochester this month, residents are gearing up for the long winter. And when the temperatures drop below freezing, the temptation to stay indoors and avoid exercise rises. For anyone looking to start the winter and holiday season off right, there are a number of 5K and fun run events scheduled in the Rochester area, such as the annual Webster Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning.
Other upcoming holiday runs include the Canandaigua Turkey Trot and the Dashing Thru the Snow 5K and Kids Dash in Warsaw on December 5. There are also obstacle course-style and themed runs that have become increasingly popular, like the Insane Inflatable 5K coming to Rochester in 2016 (“Get ‘pumped up’ for a course filled with the world’s largest and most extreme inflatable obstacles ever created”).
Thanksgiving Turkey Trots have become an important part of many families’ holiday traditions, and many runners collect their prized finisher’s T shirts. Most marathons, fun runs, 5Ks, and color runs give T shirts to participants. That’s because nine out of 10 Americans say they own at least one T shirt they refuse to throw away for sentimental reasons. Of course, adding to a prized finisher’s shirt collection is just one small benefit of walking.
“The health benefits of walking are so overwhelming that to deny access to that is a violation of fundamental human rights,” said Robert A. Bullard, founder of the Environmental Justice movement and the Dean Public Affairs at Texas Southern University.
“Tell me your zip code and I can tell you how healthy you are. That should not be…All communities should have a right to a safe, sustainable, healthy, just, walkable community.”
Bullard was speaking at the National Walking Summit held in October 2015, where U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy reminded the country that even simple exercises, like walking, can have big effects on the heart, mind, and soul.
“We are a nation of walkers,” Murthy said, before adding that “an average of 22 minutes a day of physical activity — such as brisk walking — can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes.”
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