Walk The Walk Doc

Doc Walking 2009

By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH
Originally published May 14, 2009, The Maine Switch

I am a rain-runner. And a night-walker. And a snow-plodder. I wander wooded paths and city streets with equal enthusiasm. My life is more satisfying when I plan rambling into my day. Meandering keeps my body healthy and my soul sane.

I often meander by myself, I am never alone. My camera is my constant companion. Sometimes I will send pictures directly to a specific recipient, but usually I will post them on my blog or upload them to Facebook or Twitter. I want my friends to see my world: the rain, the night, the snow. Likewise, I enjoy knowing where my friends are wandering. I feel that I am with them in spirit, taking in the D.C. cherry blossoms or catching rays in Cocoa Beach. 

While it is lovely to be with others in spirit, it is even more gratifying to amble with a warm body by my side. My daughter and I frequently saunter down to the local coffee shop; my husband and I stroll by the light of the moon. When my far-flung siblings return to Yarmouth, we’ll often take a long run out to Cousins Island. There is nothing better than roving the roads with a friend. 

Last summer I engaged in regular group roving sessions as part of “Walk with the Doc (WWTD).” WWTD met at the Sparhawk Mill in Yarmouth (where my office is located) every Tuesday. Our numbers were small, but our participants were dedicated. Ginny, Beverly, Kathy and Angela and I luxuriated in our gentle 45-minute excursion along the Royal River to the East Elm park, up to Main Street and back down Bridge Street. 

WWTD was immensely enjoyable. The group stopped intermittently for photo-ops and rest breaks, if needed. Between breaks, we would chat. Sometimes the topics were health-related, sometimes not. I learned a lot about the women who walked with us. We discussed our families and our lives. We talked about parenting young children, and grandparenting older children. It was a sneaker-clad bonding fest. 

When autumn rolled around, we put our bonding-fest on hold. Though I am a winter wanderer, I did not expect the same of others. I run the Royal River path regularly, even in the snow, and I know how treacherous it can be. So we took a hiatus. 

I’m happy to report that our WWTD hiatus is over. We will take to the path at 11:45 on Tuesdays, weather permitting, starting on May 19. There is no charge. All are invited to join us at 81 Bridge Street. Participants should wear sneakers and comfy clothes — and be physically capable of a 45-minute walk (check with your health care provider if you aren’t sure). 

Participants should also come prepared to enjoy the lush greenery of the spring and the companionship of others. They should have a tolerance of meandering, camera-carrying doctors. They should have a desire for a healthy body and a satisfying life. 

Hope to see you there.

__________________________________________________

81 Bridge Street, Suite 113 • Yarmouth Maine 04096 • (207) 847-9393
info@drlisabelisle.com

© 2009 Aerie River. All rights reserved.

Active Kids, Active Families

By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH
Originally published May 2005, Parent & Family

Little kids are built to be active. As any parent can tell you, most preschoolers hit the ground running, and don’t stop until they fall into bed at night. Unfortunately, this activity level often declines as childhood progresses, and falls off dramatically in adolescence. We need to change this. Obesity (which is partially due to inactivity) has been linked to diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and countless other diseases. Exercise, on the other hand, has been correlated with increased fitness, improved self-esteem and enhanced social skills. Inactivity or fitness: which of these routes will you choose for your child’s future?

Walking the Walk

By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH
Originally published May 2008, Parent & Family

Last year our family moved to a house that was less than a mile away from our children’s schools. We had previously lived only a little farther up the road. We did this in part because we wanted them to walk to school as often as possible. We wanted them to have the chance to daydream as they meandered down the wooded paths, over the brook and across the fields. We wanted them to see the world up close; to develop a sense of place. We wanted them to engage in an activity that benefited their spirits—and their bodies.

Curing Lopsided Life Syndrome: First, You Must Walk Alone

By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH
Originally published July 2008, Parent & Family

My last Parent & Family article (Walking the Walk, May 2008) addressed walking with our children. As I mentioned, this is a wonderful way to role model healthy behavior. Walking also gives children a chance to connect with us, with their inner selves, and with their environment.

Sidewalks and Schoolyard Gardens: Making it Easier for People to Be Good

By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH
Originally published March 1, 2007, Community Leader

Last summer, our neighborhood became a more enjoyable place to live. Already quite satisfying, our little corner of the world was further enriched by the August construction of a simple stretch of sidewalk. This paved walkway completed a 3.29 mile runnable/walkable/skippable/jumpable/mosey-able loop through the center of Yarmouth. It made it possible for all nearby schoolchildren (including two of my own) to get to our public schools safely on foot. It connected us with the rest of town.

The Air Out There & Person-Powered Activities

Take a deep breath. Hold it. How long can you keep from breathing?

Not long, eh? In medical school, we learned that ‘air goes in and out,’ and ‘blood goes ‘round and ‘round.’ If either of these processes stops, a person dies. Quickly. If either of these is hampered significantly, a person dies--though perhaps less quickly. These systems are necessary for living.

Walking the Walk

Last year our family moved to a house that was less than a mile away from our children’s schools. We had previously lived only a little farther up the road. We did this in part because we wanted them to walk to school as often as possible. We wanted them to have the chance to daydream as they meandered down the wooded paths, over the brook and across the fields. We wanted them to see the world up close; to develop a sense of place. We wanted them to engage in an activity that benefited their spirits—and their bodies.

It is important for children to engage in activities that benefit their bodies. We are regularly reminded that our children are embroiled in an epidemic of obesity. Because of this, they face an increased risk of weight-related ailments, such as heart disease and diabetes. As it stands, they also have shorter life expectancies than we do.

The best way to ensure our children enjoy long, healthy lives is to enjoy long, healthy lives ourselves. Although we can tell them what they need to do (eat well, exercise, etc), our message will be much better received if we are modeling the behavior we want them to have.  In her book, Our Children Are Watching (Barrytown, 1995), Susan Collins points out that words are only 7% of communication: “What we do with our voice is 38%. What we do with our bodies is 55%. Thus 93% of our communication is not what we say, but how we say it.” Clearly, actions speak louder than words.

Knowing that actions speak louder than words, we need to show our children what we want them to do--and do it with them.  Gandhi once remarked, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” In the case of our children, our world begins in our homes. So we must literally “walk the walk.”

Walking the walk is not complicated. Here are some tips:

• open your door and take a deep breath,
• settle your child in a stroller, or offer him your hand,
• place one foot in front of the other, until you’re moving down the street.

While walking, look at the trees…wave to the neighbors…chat about your child’s favorite book. Then return home, and let him process his full-body adventure.

Why do kids need full-body adventures? This is how they learn. Some kids incorporate information more easily by hearing; others seeing; others by feeling or doing. Walking gives children a chance to do all of these things: listen to a blue jay, look at newly opened lilacs, hug a tree and hold a hand. Simply by strolling around the block.

By walking around the block with your child, you also are helping him understand his world. In Anam Cara (Harper, 1997), John O’Donohue writes “Landscape has a secret and silent memory, a narrative of presence where nothing is ever lost or forgotten.”  While winding his way through wooded paths, across brooks and over fields, your child is connecting to the secret and silent memories of the earth.

As your child gets older, you can expand his secret and silent memories to involve landscapes farther afield. Navigate around town using the Left-Right-Forward-Back game. Stretch yourselves even further by:

• Finding fairy houses on Falmouth’s Mackworth Island ,     
• Escaping to the ocean at Bates-Morse Mountain  in Phippsburg,
• Exploring Pineland's forested trails in New Gloucester, and
• Climbing Pownal’s gentle Bradbury Mountain .

Older children often relish walking-related vacations. Last summer we hiked Katahdin with our freshman son; we took our first and sixth grade daughters to amble about Monhegan. Some of our most successful family expeditions were prompted by our dog-eared copy of Best Hikes with Children in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine (Mountaineers, 2000).

This spring, make plans for your own expedition, whether it is ambling around an island or walking around the block. Be the change you wish to see in your children. Benefit their bodies and their spirits: help them walk the walk.