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Issue: # 113
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May 20th, 2010
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We need your thoughts  | |
Greetings!
Good morning! We hope you are having a great week. Hard to believe it's already Thursday!
One of the cooler things about WWAD has been sharing the decision making process as one big Walk family (that's you...and me). Today is a perfect example. On Monday (May 17th), our Executive Director Kathryn Stephens received a very exciting letter from the Mascot Consortium of the Americas (MCA). We're not sure how we 'made the list', but we're not asking too many questions, if you know what I mean. Now, we need your input.
So, what's the MCA? I'm sure all of you are familiar with the more popular members of consortium (e.g. Duke Blue Devil, San Diego Chicken, etc.). All active members of the MCA must represent teams or regular events in either North, South, or Central America. Once the athletic team or event is no longer playing or occurring regularly, the mascot representative is deactivated. Thirty (30) days later, the character becomes available for use by another entity.
Kathryn and I have tried to make it easier by narrowing the candidate selection to five (73 available). As you decide, please keep in mind the premise behind Walk with a Doc - breaking down the barriers to exercise so all can see how truly easy and fun it can be. This is not a popularity contest, this is serious. This mascot will be representing us domestically and abroad. Our choices are as follows:
* Eva, the California Avocado. Eva is a 5 and a half foot ripe avocado left over from the Valley Center, CA Avocado Festival (1997-2008). She is very feminine in appearance and our only scented option (thank goodness)
* Terrance, the Terrific Typewriter. Terry promoted literacy throughout the Dakotas (mostly North) back in the 70's and has been 'on the shelf' for a long time. 5 foot tall, 9 foot wide, and not properly vented - he was more of a 'charity selection' to make the final 5. I fear he may be inappropriate for our mission and somewhat malodorous; Kathryn wants to leave it up to the group. * Ramón, the Mildly Enlarged Prostate. Ramón is a 7 foot tall prostate gland with arms, large handlebar mustache, and knee-high red-striped tube socks. Ramon became available after the cessation of the BPH Walk of Rio de Janeiro in 2004 (sponsored by Urologistas de Brasil)
* Marabelle, the Memphis Showboat Mascot. This proud 8 foot foam paddlewheeler was a casualty of the USFL disbanding in 1985. Pros: Many moving parts (kids love spinning the wheel), she is upbeat and easily approachable; Cons: not terribly relative to a national walking program.
* Mayor McCheese. There is certainly no questioning the Mayor's popularity. The Mayor is widely recognized and could bring us immediate attention. Unfortunately, the Mayor also comes with 6 grams of saturated fat and 800 mg of sodium (30% and 33% of our daily allowance, respectively). He, of course, is not scented.
Anyway, thank you for your attention to this matter. Once again, please do not take your vote lightly. We are talking about the future of the walk. |
| Walking (with a Doc)....prevents Stroke (big time) |  Brisk Walking Reduces Stroke Risk
We all know how walking is fun, easy, and puts you in a good mood for hours (up to 12 hrs. actually). Well, there are some French benefits (I know it's fringe, I say French) that we've already discussed (reduction in Alzheimer's, breast cancer, colon cancer, heart attack, etc.). Today we discuss stroke.
Women Can Reduce Stroke Risk by Walking a Few Hours Per Week
Women who walk two or more hours per week or who walk at a brisk pace can significantly reduce their risk of suffering a stroke, new research indicates.
The findings are based on a study of the exercising habits of 39,315 female health professionals whose average age was 54. It found that: ˇ Women who walked at a pace of 3 miles per hour or faster had a 37% lower risk of suffering any type of stroke. ˇ Women who walked two or more hours a week had a 30% reduced risk of any type of stroke. "Physical activity, including regular walking, is an important modifiable behavior for stroke prevention," Jacob R. Sattelmair, MSc, of the Harvard School of Public Health, says in a news release. "Physical activity is essential to promoting cardiovascular health and reducing risk of cardiovascular disease, and walking is one way of achieving physical activity." Previous research has indicated that people who are physically active generally have a lower risk of stroke than those who are more sedentary.
Walking and Stroke Risk
Sattelmair and colleagues examined data from the Women's Health Study.
Every few years, the participants reported their leisure-time physical activity during the past year; specifically, how much time they spent walking; jogging; running; biking; doing aerobic exercise or dance; using machines; playing tennis, squash, or racquetball; swimming; doing yoga; and stretching and toning.
They also reported their usual walking pace if they walked for exercise.
ˇ Casual walkers were those who strolled at a pace of 2 miles per hour.
ˇ Normal walkers reported their pace at between 2 and 2.9 miles per hour.
ˇ Brisk walkers reported walking at a 3 to 3.9 mile per hour clip.
ˇ Those who walked at 4 miles per hour were placed in a "very brisk" category.
During almost 12 years of follow-up, 579 women had suffered a stroke. The women who were most active in their leisure time were 17 % less likely to suffer any type of stroke than the least-active women.
"Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in the U.S., so it's important to identify ways to prevent them," Sattelmair says.
Other risk factors for women include smoking, obesity, migraine headaches, postmenopausal hormone use, and taking oral contraceptives.
By Bill Hendrick
Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
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| This Saturday - Columbus, OH - 4 Parks |  If you are not in Columbus this weekend, please do not read this
As always, please check the website for detailed information on each site (http://www.walkwithadoc.org/our-locations), but here is the skinny on Columbus this weekend.
We kick off our 2 new walks this Saturday. One is the Westerville Rec Center (meet on the south patio at 9:00 a.m.) Dr. Mary Lynn Niland is our leader.
Our other inaugural walk is at Park of Roses (meet on the playground of the Whetstone Library at 9:00 a.m.). Dr. Virginia (Ginny) deVerteuil is our leader.
Franklin Park Conservatory has been up and running/walking for a while now. Dr. Wendy Anderson will be meeting everybody in the Community Gardens at 8:30 a.m. (this is where we met after Come Out & Walk, Garden, and Play).
Highbanks will be in the same Big Meadows Picnic Area location at 8:30. Led by Dr. Anne Marie Sommers. This is our original walk. Ironically, there will be no pancakes from The Original Pancake House - which are delicious. IHOP not a sponsor...yet. Denny's - nope. Perkin's - nope.
All sites will have free pedometers for everybody. You are our friends. We want you to get all the benefits that you receive by just walking. We want to walk with you. We like you - a lot.
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Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions regarding the program. Thank you so much for sticking with us.
Our best,
David
Walk with a Doc
(614) 714-0407
Karin Kinsella: Daddy, there is a man on your lawn. Field of Dreams |
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