Checkup

Happy Trails to You ...

Marked Paths on the Clinic Campus Encourage Walking

Karen Willingham (right) takes a break outdoors with co-workers (l-r) Lynelle Christy, Sheila Thomas and Janice Curtis

There are a variety of ways to spend a lunch break, but Karen Willingham chooses to use hers in a productive way. While the 40-year-old resource maintenance specialist at Mayo Clinic does take a moment to grab a bite to eat, she has one main objective to accomplish during that time  --  she walks.

"I walk one mile in 25 minutes," says Willingham, who also uses her morning and afternoon breaks to take a lap or two outside. "I walk to lose weight and to become healthier."

Sometimes she invites a co-worker along and sometimes she goes solo, but she always goes, and it has paid off. The combination of the exercise and eating a better diet has helped her lose 29 pounds in nine months.

Willingham is not the only employee taking advantage of the clinic's beautiful grounds. For years, employees have been taking their breaks outside to enjoy the fresh air and to get a little exercise. In response to that, a health and wellness work group comprised of health care professionals at the clinic took initiative and had markers placed at every tenth of a mile along two designated half-mile routes around the campus. The markers, which went up in October, not only give walkers a direction to go in, but also a sense of accomplishment.

"The markers are wonderful," says Willingham. "I find they motivate me to keep walking."

Because walking is such a beneficial form of exercise that most people can do, it made sense to establish specific paths through the campus that employees and visitors, including patients and their families, can enjoy when a little free time comes available.

"Walking is good for you, and anybody can do it," says Meredith Munsey, employee health manager for Mayo Clinic and a member of the work group that planned the routes. "You don't need special equipment. It's good for your health. It keeps your weight down, helps with blood pressure, cholesterol and maintaining a health heart."

One route is located behind the campus from the parking garage to W.M. Davis Parkway; the other is more centrally located for patients near the front of the Davis Building. It circles the parking lots and passes by Louchery Island. Maps of the routes will be available at the information desk in the lobby and at the campus hotels. Dr. Gerald Fletcher, chair of the campus health and wellness work group, says by formalizing the walking trails, the hope is to bring more attention to the importance of exercise and to encourage staff and visitors to get outside and enjoy the beauty of the campus.

"We wanted to get these trails clearly marked to give everyone a little momentum to get healthy," says Fletcher. "Mayo's focus is on keeping people healthy. This is a great step forward."