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Community Corner

Mark Fenton Will Help Oak Park Walk To a Greener Future

In advance of the Greentown forum, PBS host and writer Mark Fenton shares tips for a healthier community.

Oak Park is an incredible place to walk around, especially this time of year. This much we know.

But are local leaders taking advantage of all the walkability? Mark Fenton, host of America’s Walking on PBS, and community leaders from Illinois and the Midwest are coming together to find out.

Fenton, 50 and a father of two, will deliver a keynote talk at Wednesday's Greentown: Pioneering Healthy and Sustainable Communities forum at Greentown aims to bring together civic leaders with the stated goal of making healthy, sustainable communities a reality.

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Fenton answered a few of Patch's questions about how Oak Parkers can live healthier and greener, simply by using their own two feet as transportation.

Patch: Could you explain the pleasure you get from a simple stroll? How does it affect you personally?

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Mark Fenton: I find it great to be outside; I grew up as a free range kid in Brockport, N.Y., walking and bicycling everywhere. I think it's just bred into me to be out and active all the time.

P: When you do drive, what do you drive? Do you try to drive as minimally as possible?

MF: We have a little Kia Soul (my wife, Lisa’s) and an old beater minivan that’s for going to the dump and carrying surfboards to the beach. But we’re in walking distance of our little downtown area, and one of our favorite surf breaks, so my goal when I’m not traveling for work is to drive as little as possible. I can ride my bike to the post office, store, the kids can walk to school, etc.

P: Do you ever get discouraged that you have to tell Americans to get off the couch and start moving?

MF: Not at all … walking is an easy, low-cost physical activity that really anyone can enjoy, and it’s fine to start very gradually, with just 10- to 15-minute walks. My greater concern is that we need to put policies in place to make it safe and inviting for all people to walk, bike and take transit more of the time. We’ve build a world entirely for the automobile, and that has led to a horrible epidemic of physical inactivity – and thus obesity – in this country. My goal is to build a world where lots more people walk and bike lots more of the time.

P: You’re a champion walker. What has it been like being a member of the U.S. national racewalking team?

MF: Lots of fun and very rewarding. Certainly it was cool traveling internationally. I competed on teams that went to Mexico, Venezuela, France, and Germany, and was later a coach on the U.S. team that went to the World Championships in Beijing. But I think the best part has been learning how to get very fit, a fitness that has given me the ability to pursue all sorts of other adventures in my life. I now do long distance hikes with friends – two years ago we did the Grand Canyon from south rim to north rim and back … 44 miles non-stop in 17 hours – and our family backpacks and bikes, and surfs and kayaks.

P: Do you have any tips for those just starting to walk, or older folks looking for some exercise? What about those people who sit in an office chair all day?

MF: Just starting, I suggest that people start small, with as little as 10- to 15-minute daily walks. You can then add just a few minutes every week or so, with the goal of getting up to at least 30 minutes of walking most days of the week. National guidelines suggest that every American adult average about 30 minutes of moderate physical activity a day, 150 minutes a week, and that kids should average a minimum of about 60 minutes a day, at least 300 minutes a week. That’s enough to reduce risk for chronic disease, [like] heart disease, stroke, Type II diabetes, and an early death.

Keep in mind, it doesn’t have to be a super speedy power walk, and it doesn’t even have to be all at once. People who accumulate 30 minutes – say, a 10-minute walk with a child to school in the morning, 10 minutes for errands at lunch and another 10 with the dog in the evening – see the same health benefits. So I recommend that people should not just think of walking as exercise, but look for ways to build it into daily life. If you take the train into the city to work for example, hop off a station early and walk some extra blocks. Once a week offer to walk the neighborhood kids to school rather than drive them in the car. The kids will love it. Walk to pick up the paper at a corner store rather than have it delivered. Whenever possible build walking, or bicycling, or using transit, all ways to be more physically active, into your daily life.

P: Have you had a chance to walk in Oak Park? Where did you go? What were your impressions?

MF: I have not been to Oak Park yet. But when I arrive on Tuesday we will be doing a walk audit in the afternoon with city officials and healthy living advocates. We’ll conclude that walk at city hall and discuss what we saw, and what the community can do to make itself more supportive for routine physical. There are four broad things that I encourage people to look for, as the research indicates that these attributes encourage more routine walking, bicycling, and transit use (land use patterns, transportation systems, functional site design, safety and access for all). This is what we’ll look for while on our walk, and we’ll talk about what it takes to create these settings.

P: In the Midwest, winter is right around the corner. What tips do you have for the cold months, the ones where it's too cold to do anything but stand and shiver?

MF: GET MOVING! It’s the very best medicine! Don’t say it can’t be done – Minneapolis has some of the highest rates of walking, bicycling and transit use for commuting in the U.S., and their winters are plenty cold. They’ve just built a great network for walking, cycling and transit year round!

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