Ask the Doctor

Nash Witten, MD

Start walking!

As a primary care Family Physician, I am asked, or must tell, patients every day about the importance of regular exercise. Whether you are 16 or 78 years old or have a BMI of 46 [morbidly obese] or 21 [normal], we all need to exercise daily to stay healthy. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that “children and adolescents ages 6 through 17 years should do 60 minutes or more of [. . .] activity daily.” For adults, this organization recommends “at least 150 minutes to 300 minutes a week.” Unfortunately, numerous studies have linked “sit time” to an increased chance of dying, as well as increased rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. But, as I tell my patients daily, you don’t need to start running; just go for a walk! Walking has been found to improve high blood pressure and BMI and lower your risk of diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and early death! One of the benefits of living on the North Shore is that we have numerous free, convenient places to walk:

• Sunset Beach to Waimea Bay: Ke Ala Pūpūkea Bike Path (a.k.a The Bike Path)
• Pūpūkea: Pa‘ala‘a Uka Pūpūkea Road (a.k.a. Boy Scout Trail), Kaunala Trail
• Hale‘iwa: Hale‘iwa Beach Park, Hale‘iwa Ali‘i Beach Park, Kaiaka Bay Beach Park
• Waialua: Waialua District Park, Waialua Beach Road Bike Path
• Mokulēʻia: Peacock Flats Access Road (a.k.a. Mokulēʻia Trail), Kealia Trail, Ka‘ena Point State Park

The next question that patients usually ask me is, “how fast should I walk?”

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least moderate-intensity exercise for the times listed above. The easiest way to determine if you’re walking at your moderate-intensity is that you can talk but not sing. Each of us has a baseline fitness level, and therefore what level of exertion is needed to exercise at a moderate-intensity will vary. Thanks to all of our fitness gadgets, including our smartphones, you can track your daily activities and progress over time for some additional motivation, if needed.

On behalf of your family, friends, community, and primary care physician, start walking!

Nash Witten, MD Board Certified, Family Medicine, Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, John A. Burns School of Medicine Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Native Hawaiian Health, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, John A. Burns School of Medicine