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Walking to work good for physical, mental health

Post-Bulletin (Rochester, MN) - 3/2/2015

March 02--Jeff Larson Keller has become so used to his morning walk to work through his Rochester neighborhood that he and his wife, Julie, have adopted a section of of a park -- because he wants to keep his journey pleasing to the eye.

"It's such a well-ingrained habit now that I don't even think about it," Keller said.

He's among the approximately 3.8 percent of Rochester workers who walk to work and 0.7 percent who bike to work, according to the Rochester Bicycle-Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

"I have the best walk in the world," Keller said.

Destination Medical Center planners want, over time, to boost the number of pedestrians, bike riders and commuters who use park-and-ride and various forms of public transportation.

Olmsted County Public Health community health specialist Kelly Corbin said, "in public health, we have a term for it. We call it 'active living.'"

"When people use any form of public transit, research shows they're getting more physical activity into their day," Corbin said.

Schedules can seem so busy these days that it can seem impossible to take time out specifically to exercise.

But Corbin said public health advocates, who consider the health of populations as a whole, try to incorporate physical activity into normal, daily routines.

A person who uses park-and-ride, for example, instead of pulling into a parking space near work, will park at a park-and-ride lot, walk to a public-transit pickup spot, climb aboard a bus or other vehicle and then, upon arrival at the destination, walk from the drop-off point to the job site. Those small bits of exercise added together end up giving a person nearly the full recommended amount of moderate physical activity.

People who become pedestrians can easily achieve their full recommended exercise daily.

"if you're walking 15 minutes to work and you're walking 15 minutes home every day, you just got your 30 minutes," Corbin said.

The move away from single-driver vehicles toward public transit, walking and biking is "definitely a culture change," Corbin said. But, she said, "I think we're going to see more of that as our community grows."

Walking to work provides more than physical health benefits. Keller suggested it's good for mental health as well.

"A good portion of my walk is through Soldiers Field Park," he said. He enjoys the various daily things he sees along the way -- turkeys, deer, people and new construction.

"Now that the university's building up, I see more students out doing a variety of things," Keller said.

Destination Medical Center planners envision a loop circling downtown Rochester that would be designed specifically to accommodate pedestrians and bike riders.

"When we make the infrastructure more accessible and common, we're going to see more people using it," Corbin said.

A person who gets three hours per week of moderate exercise has a 50 percent lower risk of developing heart disease or a stroke, she said. Corbin said things that could help Rochester encourage people to walk or bike to work include developing a job position for a bicycle-pedestrian coordinator and installing shower facilities for bikers to change into business attire once they get to work.

Keller and his wife adopted part of Soldiers Field, and he picks up litter to keep his journey clean.

"I try to watch for the big things as I go through every day," he said.

Keller has developed a habit to help him mentally check out from work. He has chosen a sign and touches it each night when he passes. At that moment, it's like he turns off a light switch and is telling himself not to think about work any longer.

It's an effective way to wind down for a short distance, then switch his thoughts to the scenery along his route home.

"I actually consider myself a professional pedestrian now," Keller said.

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