WS Chronicle

By: Jess Schnur 

The Chronicle 

Annually, April 7 has been recognized around the globe as World Health Day. Since 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) has promoted World Health Day to spread awareness for highlighted medical maladies and to contribute to the conversation of making healthy lifestyles accessible for everyone.  

Why Exercise Matters 

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ “Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans”, about half of all American adults – 117 million people – have one or more preventable chronic diseases. Seven out of 10 of the most common chronic diseases can be mitigated through regular physical activity, but only 50% of adults meet the guidelines for aerobic physical activity. 

The guideline recommends that adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) to 300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise to observe substantial health benefits.  

Talking to the Exercise Experts: Wellness at Wake Forest 

“People say, oh, I don’t have the time for physical activity,” said Dr. Shannon Mihalko of Wake Forest University’s (WFU) Health and Exercise Science (HES) Department in an interview with The Chronicle. “But the more confident I am that I’m able to get around those obstacles and persevere, the more likely I’m going to keep doing it over the long term.” 

Dr. Mihalko is a health psychologist and professor in HES at Wake’s main campus, while working jointly through the Department of Social Science and Health Policy at the medical school. Much of her work is centered around the predictors of behavior and behavior change through the lens of exercise and weight management. Dr. Mihalko facilitates randomized clinical trials through her department in programs such as TOPS: a pioneering osteoarthritis prevention study for women over the age of 50. “We all know that exercise is good for us, but it’s a really difficult behavior to start, adopt and maintain over time,” said Dr. Mihalko. “And so, we have strategies, and we build our interventions.” 

For many, the thought of exercise may seem a daunting task with a lack of time and resources at one’s disposal. But getting active need not be as far as a gym nor as expensive as a set of equipment; exercise can be as close as your own home or as cost-effective as going to the park. But most importantly: exercise can be as fun as getting drinks with friends … literally.  

“I always say when people are starting exercise, you’ve got to find something that you enjoy, that you find fun, or at least that you can tolerate. Because if you don’t enjoy it, you just won’t do it,” said Kristy Wood, director of Wake Forest’s Healthy Exercise and Lifestyles Program (HELPS). “That’s the same with anything in life. So, I encourage you first to find something that you enjoy enough to be able to do it routinely. If people are moving from being more sedentary, not moving much, to wanting to exercise, I always encourage people to start slow. If you’re not active, you don’t want to go from zero minutes a week to 100 minutes a week.” 

As the director of HELPS, Wood helps individuals reach their fitness goals through WFU employee wellness programs, in addition to clinical-based community wellness programs. A lot of her work centers around the prevention and management of chronic illnesses in older adults through the guidance of professionals.  

Get Moving, Winston-Salem: Running and Walking Clubs Around Town 

Winston-Salem is home to an ever-growing community of running and walking clubs throughout the city, with a different group meeting held every day of the week. From young children with their parents to local seniors, these groups offer a community that supports beginners to pros alike along their fitness journeys.  

The Run Club 

“We wanted to start something that was like much more of a friend group,” said Davis Lee, one of the founders of The Run Club – one of the many clubs downtown. “I guess it was focused around running, but much more about a social way of getting together and meeting people. But was super low-key, didn’t really focus on your time, your effort, your pace.” “It’s something accessible for new runners but also seasoned runners,” added Christian Arnder, the organization’s other founder. “People could just come, run, have a good time, meet some people, [and] call it a day.” 

The Run Club, founded by the two friends, meets three times a week: Wednesday mornings at 6 a.m. at Happy Hill Park, Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. at Bailey Park, and Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. at Sayso Coffee. 

“Running genuinely changed my life,” said Arnder. “I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been. I have the best friends I’ve ever had through that, which is kind of insane to say. But also, it’s like this really meditative experience overall, which is a huge reason I do it. And I don’t think about my time. I don’t think about my pace too much. It’s really just for me, a kind of selfish pursuit, but in a really positive way.” 

 As two long-time running enthusiasts who recently rekindled their love of motion, Arnder and Lee wanted to extend their healthy hobby to others in their community. For the two, as well as many of their members, The Run Club serves as a testament to being healthy and recognizing it as something not to take for granted. Being able to move, that in itself, says Lee, is something to celebrate. “World Health Day is such a great excuse to celebrate being healthy and ways that make you healthy. It’s the same thing as Global Run Day that we do in June. It’s like, go have fun. Go be healthy. You are healthy. Celebrate it. There’s a lot of people that can’t celebrate that, and so be proud of that.” 

Run Like a Fish Club 

On Monday nights at 6 p.m., Meagan Pruitt, along with a group of other running enthusiasts, gather at the Fiddlin’ Fish Brewery for the Run Like a Fish club. Originally joining the club as a customer, Pruitt inherited her leadership within the group after getting hired at the brewery, as the founder had passed the role down to her. “All of my hobbies need to be everybody else’s hobbies too,” said Pruitt. “Every Monday we do themed runs, we bring small business in or bring somebody new to have a hobby they really love. So, we just like to show off people who are in the Run Club, and places around Winston-Salem that need some extra attention.” 

Pruitt first got into running while in pursuit of a new exercise-based endeavor. “I think I got started running because I needed an activity to calm down my personality,” said Pruitt. “I know there were a lot of times when I was getting into stuff, or getting into sports, and I’m not athletic. I’m not a sports person, but they would send me on the field for soccer, and they’d be like, ‘Just run. You just do that.’ So, I did, and then it just became something really super fun to do all the time, and running became a thing where it’s like, need a few minutes to yourself? A run is going to do that for you.”  

Wise Man Running and Walking Club 

But many of these clubs are not exclusive to running. Many clubs, like the Wise Man Running and Walking Club, (WMRWC), are geared toward both runners and walkers moving along the same path. Meeting every Thursday at 6:30 p.m., members of the WMRWC congregate at Wise Man Brewery with the possibility for those in attendance to win prizes of Wise Man gift cards and food truck vouchers. The club also helps track the achievements of those who sign in for each meeting, gifting stickers and T-shirts as milestones are met by its members. 

“Personally, being involved with the LGBT community, this is a fantastic place to come and just be yourself. Not to feel like other people are going to judge you or look down on you. They love you as who you are,” said Jeff Olson, the club’s organizer and social media manager. “Everybody, I hope, accepts me for who I am. It really is an inclusive group. Just a wide diversity. A lot of different backgrounds. I think we need to have more of that, where people can come and just be themselves and be able to reach their fitness goals without having any of those barriers.” 

To keep active amidst the COVID-era lockdowns, Olson took on running for the first time in 2020. “I was left with only one choice: and that was to run. I never ran before, other than to the refrigerator, and to be honest I didn’t know what I was doing. I downloaded the Couch to 5k app on my phone and from there, I started my running journey. To this day I remember when I ran my first 5k without stopping. What a memory I will cherish!”  

One of the club’s members, Brad Hanes, has been coming to WMRWC for two years. Picking up running back in 2011, Hanes’ activity had helped him overcome his struggles with anxiety and social anxiety. But running has been more than a way to stay healthy, both physically and mentally, for Hanes. He was able to travel across the world and meet others who shared his love for running. “Running a marathon on every continent was definitely not my idea, it was my friends who roped me into it. But I have just met some of the most incredible people along the way. I’ve done all these destination marathons on every continent, and you meet people from all over the world from 20 years old to 90 years old that have just run like hundreds of marathons over the span of their entire life. And it’s so inspiring,” said Hanes. “You get to hear their stories of how they got into running and, you know, what benefit it has caused for them, not just on a physical level, but a mental level. You’re getting to share your own experiences with them. And it just becomes like this whole entire community of positivity. I’ve just been very fortunate to really do what I have done, and I’ve met the most incredible people along the way. And, you know, we keep in touch through Instagram or Facebook or whatever. I may not ever see these people again in person, but just to be able to share that experience with them just has meant everything to me.” 

The Winston Walkers 

And for those who prefer to take it a little slower and enjoy the scenery, independent walking clubs are also a staple for local fitness in the area. The Winston Walkers is a women’s walking club that schedules different meeting times throughout the week. The group explores a variety of local parks and trails around town, providing a welcoming environment for newcomers to get connected within their community. “My husband and I relocated to Winston-Salem last June, and I figured, what better way to get one started and just meet people?” said the club’s founder, Mary. “I found that Winston-Salem was missing an environment for new people to meet one another, so the group mainly consisted of ladies who all relocated to the area as transplants.” 

The club has fostered a community of women of all ages, promoting a supportive environment for anyone looking to join. “I’m pregnant now. So [walking is] a very low-impact way to keep the joints [working],” said Mary. “I would say, being an athlete growing up, walking is pretty low impact for ladies of all ages. So, that’s something where it just makes it very approachable for many different people to come and join.”  

Why We Run 

Running and walking clubs around the community are free to join, with low commitment. They not only are a means of becoming increasingly healthy physically – such as preventing and managing chronic disease, helping with weight loss, and supporting cardiovascular health – but mentally, as well. “Chronic perceived psychological stress takes a negative toll on the body over time,” said Dr. Mihalko. “And physical activity is one way to combat that. Also, understanding stress is just a thought. But while we’re understanding that perception, we can also employ strategies like physical activity, which has wonderful hormone responses, endorphins, and all of those wonderful feel-good hormones, as well as acting as a distraction away from our everyday stressors and worries.” 

According to Dr. Mihalko, self-efficacy is key. Exercise can help build confidence in oneself and therefore makes routine physical activity easier in the process. When beginning one’s fitness journey, it’s important to start small and set incremental goals along the way.  

But fitness is more than just getting in motion; it’s about the human experience in connecting with others. By building communities around the shared goal of wellness, running and walking clubs are the perfect means of seeking support along the way and cultivating relationships with those who share like-minded aspirations.   

“I would just encourage people that it is just never too late to change your lifestyle, whatever that may look like,” said Kristy Wood. “Recently I had a lady call me inquiring about the HELPS program. She said, ‘I’m 88 years old and I’ve never exercised before, but I want my remaining years to be my healthiest years.’ And I think that’s just such a testament to [the fact that it] doesn’t matter your age or your background or your limitation. It’s never too late to change something about your lifestyle.”