Walk With a Doc: Communication and exercise program spreads

When Dr. David Sabgir set out to walk with others in his community to encourage exercise and spend a little more time with people, little did he know doctors across the globe would step up and do the same.

Sabgir, of Columbus, Ohio, was looking for a way to help his patients get out and exercise. Though he urged them frequently, few followed through. In 2005, he planned a hike—and invited his patients. A hundred people responded to the fliers his nurse printed up, and a tradition was born.

The physician saw the 2.2 mile walk as a time for patients to get moving toward weight loss and to fight aging and disease—and as an opportunity for him to answer their questions.

"Our goal is simple-to transform medicine," Sabgir told The Columbus Dispatch. "We want everyone in the world to have access to this."

The whole world may not be walking with docs quite yet, but the program is growing. There are now chapters in seven Ohio communities, Jamaica, and Italy. More than 250 other physicians are hoping to get the program going where they are—including physicians in China, Portugal, and South Africa.

The Dispatch says participants praise the benefits of the hikes, including the chance to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors and the access to a physician in an informal setting.

"How often do you get to meet a doctor one-on-one and just talk for 45 minutes?" walker Helen Gillispie says. "You can ask them anything on the walk."

For more information

• Watch Dr. Sabgir share the story of the organization.
• Visit the Walk With a Doc website.
• Make the Walk With a Doc's Poop Muffin recipe. (Hey, if the doc is sharing it, it must be healthy. I can't help it if the name makes you laugh!)

So, tell us, readers? Are your doctors involved with this or other similar wellness programs? How do you share the word? Do you use social media? Bet you never shared a recipe with a name as funny as this one, though, did you?