Help Corpus Christi stay off the top 10 fattest cities list by walking it off this Saturday at the first Walk to be Well event. Another new initiative by the Mayor's Fitness Council, Walk to be Well begins at 9 a.m. Jan. 11, in Manuel Q. Salinas Park at 1354 Airport Road in Corpus Christi. The group will start near the pavilion.
The walk is more than just strutting your stuff with friends in the seaside city. The monthly event will begin every second Saturday with a presentation by a health expert who will then join the walk.
Dr. Nestor Praderio will lead the January walk. Dr. Praderio is a psychiatrist who recently helped the city stage a Memory Walk, linking the benefits of exercise to helping overcome dementia and Alzheimer's disease. His presentation, "Healthy Brain," will focus on linking physical activity with wellness and healthy living, says Stacy Talbert, Assistant Director of the city's Parks and Recreation Department.
Talbert stressed that the walk is not competitive — or long.
"There's really no distance involved in the walk," she said. "You can walk at your own pace, however long you want. It's more about getting people outdoors with their families without the pressure of a race."
The monthly walk idea is part of a continued response by the Mayor to an article in Men's Health Magazine in 2010 that named Corpus Christi one of the top 10 fattest cities in the nation. According to the article, 40 percent of Corpus Christi residents are obese and about one in six have Type 2 diabetes — twice the national average.
From that was born the Mayor's Fitness Council, which sponsored a Kite Festival in November and the Memory Walk.
For more information on the Wellness Walk, visit the Parks & Rec Facebook page. You can "Like" the page to receive regular updates on the latest city fitness activities.
