Thursday, January 01, 2009
No-cost exercise
Mall walkers can exercise in any weather, and by doing so they can help control Type 2 diabetes, lower blood pressure and prevent osteoporosis, a Vinton doctor said.
Ronald Terry walks down a corridor at Valley View Mall in Roanoke. Terry said he likes to walk two miles three times a week.
Photos by ERIC BRADY The Roanoke Times
Mall walkers Wayne Plunkett, (from left) Barbara Plunkett and her husband, Dennis Plunkett, walk at Valley View Mall in Roanoke early Tuesday. Carilion physician Mark Watts says walking regularly reaps numerous health benefits.
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Jim and Bea Martin walk for exercise at Valley View Mall in Roanoke at least three times a week.
They have been regular mall walkers for about 20 years and usually go three laps during each visit. Jim Martin said he walks because he has diabetes -- and "to keep everything working."
The fact is, a no-cost exercise plan is possible and can be found in many local shopping malls.
Dr. Mark Watts, a family physician with Carilion Family Medicine-Parkway in Vinton, recommends a combination of moderate to heavy walking and a light weight workout for anyone trying to lose weight -- or just stay healthy.
"I recommend [walking] at least 30 minutes, four to five times a week for weight loss," Watts said. "Ideally, 45 minutes or an hour would be better."
Tanglewood and Valley View malls in Roanoke open their doors early every day for this purpose. And it's free.
Ashley Likens, Valley View's marketing director, said the mall's doors open three hours before the shops open. Most people who walk there stay on the lower level of the mall and walk twice around to reach a mile, she said. Some of the regulars have been known to congregate about 9 a.m. for a game of dominos in the food court, she said.
Tanglewood Mall opens at 7 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday for walkers and vendors, according to Rebecca Spaid, the mall's marketing director. Spaid said that three laps around the inside of the mall -- including all of the nooks and crannies and the upstairs level -- add up to about a mile.
Spaid and Likens both speculated that the malls have always opened their doors early for walkers. Tanglewood opened in 1973 and Valley View in 1985.
Jim Martin said that two to three dozen regulars can be found most days at Valley View.
Maurine Osborne began walking when Valley View Mall first opened. Now 84 years old, Osborne keeps a fast pace, walking for about an hour, five times a week.
"I've been walking a long time," Osborne said. "Most of the time I walk by myself. It helps my back."
According to Watts, the benefits from walking regularly can include more than just weight loss. Walking can help control Type 2 diabetes, lower blood pressure, prevent osteoporosis and relieve stress, he said.
Mall exercise regimens also "knock out the weather excuse" and make exercise available to any age group, he added.
Exercise advocates usually advise consulting a physician before beginning any exercise program, but Watts said that with walking, this may be only necessary for people with advanced arthritis of the joints or knees, or advanced heart disease.
For more information on different types of exercise, including walking, go to www.carilionclinic.org/Carilion/P02207
