Take a Walk in the Park - Fitness Strategies for the Whole Family

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WebMD Live Events Transcript

Fitness and fun for the whole family! Take a walk in the park with Dr. William Feldner of Forest Park Hospital as we discuss fun ways to improve your family's health through fitness.

The opinions expressed herein are the guests' alone and have not been reviewed by a WebMD physician. If you have questions about your health, you should consult your personal physician. This event is meant for informational purposes only.

Moderator: Welcome to St. Louis Live Events. Our guest today is William F. Feldner, DO, FAOASM. Dr. Feldner practices "traditional" family medicine with an emphasis on sports medicine. We'll be talking about fun ways to improve your family's health through fitness.

Welcome, Dr. Feldner. Thanks for joining us today. It's not a good day for a walk in the park in St. Louis, is it?

Dr. Feldner: We have rain, thunder, and lightning right now. Not a good day. It's actually a good point -- bad weather can interfere with exercise of all forms. It can also be very dangerous to be on a walk and get caught in a lightning storm. Good safety should come first!

Moderator: But normally, St. Louis is a great place to go for a walk.

Dr. Feldner: Yes, there are many great places of all types, all around St. Louis. There are natural (unpaved) paths in parks, in wooded areas, there are paved paths, some with hills and some fairly flat. Whatever interests you is generally available.

Moderator: Why is family fitness so important?

Dr. Feldner: A recent study by the Missouri Department of Health shows a 78 percent INCREASE in the number of overweight people in the state of Missouri. Being active and maintaining fitness is very important in reducing this number, but more importantly, for overall health. There are significant health risks and related health problems from being overweight.

Moderator: What kind of fitness activities can you recommend for families with young children?

Dr. Feldner: The easiest is simply walking. There are a number of ways to do this. You only need to let your imagination work for you. We have a fantastic zoo in St. Louis and it's FREE. They have numerous children's activities and there is plenty of room for walking. There are tons of parks with walking paths. It's actually fairly easy to incorporate physical activity with children, since they love to play and be active (at least mine do!). Sometimes it's just as easy to simply play with your children.

Moderator: When my children were little, we used to go for a daily walk, imagining that we were somewhere else, a jungle, the forest, the moon, anywhere. That was a lot of fun. Other times we would try to find different plants or animals. Can you talk about the benefits of walking, in the park or around the neighborhood, as an exercise activity?

Dr. Feldner: Walking is good exercise. The benefits of exercise and health are well known. The great thing about walking is it's so easy to do. You can simply walk around the block, you can walk at the mall, you can walk just about anywhere at any time. You just need to get out and do it.

Moderator: Once the children are older, school-age and teenagers, do you have ideas for family fitness? Is it still important to combine family with fitness activities?

Dr. Feldner: Yes, it is important to maintain fitness activities, not only for health benefits, but for family bonding as well. Older children and adolescents may be more into team sports or more of a particular sporting activity such as tennis, or racquetball. Stay involved with your children any way you can.

tenuli_WebMD: My husband has asthma. What kind of fitness activities can my family do that he can participate in?