Yes!  As our cold and rainy Spring turns to (hopefully) a beautiful Summer and Fall, the popular “Walk with a Doc” offering from the NMC Medical Staff and our Lifestyle Team is back in motion! Mark your calendars to join us every Wednesday evening from June 5 through August 28 for 5:30pm at Collins Perley Sports and Fitness in St. Albans for a fun and interesting walk. Each walk will feature a member of our medical staff who will speak briefly on a timely health topic before the walk starts and be available to answer questions throughout the walk. Dr. Elisabeth Fontaine will be the first featured physician on June 5, which is fitting, as she was the originator of this event in our community, having seen it having a positive impact in other communities around the country.

For most people, walking is a very accessible way to build healthy enjoyable physical activity into your day. When individuals are looking to be more active, our Lifestyle Team often suggests walking as a place to start as it can help your heart, your lungs, your bones, your muscles, your balance, and even your mood! Walking can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight and doing so can help prevent or manage chronic conditions including diabetes. For many, the 5:30pm time slot provides a nice time to pause and invest in your own health between the end of your workday and your evening at home. We hope you will take some time on Wednesday evenings and invest in your health with a free Walk with a Doc!

Not only is Walk with a Doc a great opportunity to get your steps in, it is a great opportunity get to know the medical providers in our community and learn something along the way! The walks are not a race. Attendees are free to set their own pace, distance, and time walked. Last year’s attendees chose to do two laps of the Collins Perley walking path on most evenings – but those who had to leave early or who had walked enough for their day were free to finish whenever they chose.  The walks are both ‘kid friendly’ and ‘fur baby friendly’ so please feel free to bring your children for some together active together time or bring your dog on a leash and get your pup’s steps in as well! All are welcomed.

Walk with a Doc is a stress-free, casual time that connects providers and community members and allows for routine questions to be answered and friendships to be formed. Last year’s participants really enjoyed the opportunity to take an informal walk and getting to talk with the local physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who care for our community. This is all about community and being together and it absolutely aligns with the RiseVT spirit of embracing healthy lifestyles.

I hope you will join in and even better, bring a friend, relative or co-worker along!  Please watch the NMC social media for updates on who the upcoming featured provider will be – and keep a raincoat or umbrella in the car, as walks happen in nearly all weather! These are great evening walks on our wonderful free community resource at Collins Perley.  Please join the fun and Walk with a Doc with us!

— Jill Berry Bowen, RN, NMC’s Chief Executive Officer