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Get moving! This health tip is an oldie but goodie for staying healthy.
Pleasanton’s own World Walk to Wellness group is in its seventh year of getting people moving as they meet each Saturday to explore parks and trails in and around the city. The walkers say these outings are good for their mental health, too. And everyone is welcome.
“I, for one, would not go exploring local parks and trails on my own,” said Jerri Long, one of the original members. “Over the years and miles, I have enjoyed new friendships developed while we ‘walk ‘n’ talk’ together.
“In conversations as we walk, I have learned about geo-caching from Larry, horses from Carol and Anne, guitar music from Barbara, and motorized bicycles from Bob and Nancy, to give just a few examples of why the time passes so quickly as we get stress-free exercise.”
Michelle Suski likes to bring her grandchildren along on the Saturday morning walks.
“I really love finding ways to get the kids to interact socially that doesn’t involve cellphones,” Suski said. “The ‘walk ‘n’ talk’ is perfect for engaging them in a non-threatening way.”
“My granddaughter talked her head off to a complete stranger who was kind and nurturing,” she added.
The Pleasanton group was begun in 2011 by W. Ron Sutton, president of ACCUSPLIT, makers of pedometers and stopwatches, who knows about walking — personally and professionally.
“We had been doing a walk for several years before that on New Year’s Eve day,” Sutton said, “this thing where you were encouraged and motivated to do a New Year’s resolution regarding your health.”
“The important thing is not so much burning calories as being active for cardiovascular and muscular reasons,” he noted. “Eat right and move more.”
Proper eating is an equally important part of the equation, Sutton said.
“You can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet,” he said. “A good diet has to be reasonable, then you drop exercise on top of that, and it maintains a healthy metabolism.”
Sutton said that although it may seem like more people are exercising, the sad truth is that the percentage of those who exercise has not changed since the 1950s.
“There was a study in the 1990s that showed walking and healthy lifestyles are good at preventing premature, preventable death,” Sutton said. “The sad truth with our population is there is not enough self-prevention.”
Sutton also talked about the State of Slim program promoted by James O. Hill, Ph.D., and Holly Wyatt, M.D., at the Anschlutz Health and Wellness Center in Colorado.
“He says to cut 100 calories from your daily meals and add 2,000 steps — that way, it is easy to do,” Sutton explained. “It’s one of my favorite pieces of advice. He focuses on a doable thing.”
Suski remarked how easy it is to spend an hour or two walking with others each Saturday morning — plus it gives her a sense of community. Newcomers are made to feel welcome.
“We have been averaging 15-20 walkers each Saturday,” Long said. “At times, we have had three generations of families walking with us, from babies in strollers through grandparents.”
Long emails a weekly newsletter that lists each week’s destination to more than 600 subscribers.
“Several people have said they read about new places and see pictures that inspire them to go exploring on their own,” Long said.
Recently 18 walkers joined the group to explore a section of the Arroyo Mocho Trail in Livermore that has fish ladders — structures that allow migrating fish to pass over obstacles.
“There is always more to learn about our area,” Long said.
The walks are led by volunteers that Long calls “Walk Stars,” who include Karl Aitken, Charlene Lam, Larry Nova and Bob Pratt.
Dolores Bengtson, former head of Pleasanton’s parks department, also leads walks, sharing stories about the creation of the parks and insights about the flora and the fauna, Long said.
“We had 142 walkers for the Halloween visit that Dolores had for the cemetery,” Sutton said, remarking this was the most who had ever joined the walk. “We had three once in the driving rain. That was the fewest we ever had.”
The group walks, rain or shine, unless “the rain is blowing sideways.”
The weekly walks are mostly in and along Pleasanton parks and trails, but the group has also explored destinations in Dublin, Livermore, Sunol, Danville and even San Francisco. Walkers often have brunch together after the walks at local restaurants, including the Stable Cafe at the Alameda County Fairgrounds.
Four times a year, Nancy and Gary Harrington lead guided tour of local public art, much of it donated to the city by them. The art includes sculptures, murals and decorated bus stops and utility boxes.
“What a wonderful community we live in,” Long remarked.
To request the free weekly e-newletter, email walks@WorldWalkToWellness.org.
Next walks
Saturday Two walks are planned for tomorrow: Art Walk South with Nancy and Gary Harrington, starting at City Hall parking lot, 9-11 a.m.; Centennial Park to the eastern end of the Marilyn Murphy Kane Trail, 8:30-9:30 a.m.
April 15: Kottinger Park, with optional no-host brunch afterward at Stable Cafe (Alameda County Fairgrounds Gate 12). Walk begins at 8:30 a.m.
April 22: Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area, walk led by Dolores Bengtson, 8:30-10:30 a.m.
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Jim Griffin and Bob Pratt set the pace for walking ‘n’ talking in Mission Hills Park during a weekly World Walk to Wellness outing, now in their seventh year of helping people stay healthy in Pleasanton. (Photo by Michelle Suski) -
World Walk to Wellness participants enjoy a Saturday morning outing at Kottinger Park in Pleasanton. They average about 15 to 20 walkers, although last year’s guided cemetery walk drew 142. (Photo by Michelle Suski) -
Although most of the Saturday morning walks are within Pleasanton, the group occasionally explores surrounding areas. Here they are crossing a bridge along the Sycamore Grove Trail in Livermore, led by Vicki Cuniffe and Doris Ryon, with Larry Nova and Karl Aitken close behind. (Photo by Michelle Suski) -
A creative look at walkers down the Sycamore Grove Trail in Livermore. (Photo by Michelle Suski) -
Charlene Lam and Yvonne McNamara enjoy the sights of the historic neighborhood along Second Street. Walking group participants learn more about their surroundings as they walk ‘n’ talk together. For example, in the background is the two-story house where Mary Pickford stayed while filming “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm” in Pleasanton 100 years ago. (Photo by Michelle Suski) -
Cousins Lucas Magruder and Mira Wilcox, visiting from Oregon, race to catch up with their grandmother’s walking group in Kottinger Community Park. Photo by Michelle Suski. (Photo by Michelle Suski) -
W. Ron Sutton, founder of the group, joins the Pleasanton walks unless he is traveling for his business, ACCUSPLIT, makers of pedometers and stopwatches. (Photo by Michelle Suski)
