I punctuated late February 2012 with presentations on walking, coupled with two very memorable walking events as my travels took me to Roseville, Calif. Located in Placer County, Roseville is a mere 16 miles from the state capital in Sacramento.

My visit included a presentation on why it’s so important to get out and walk. It was a treat to talk to other Kaiser Permanente doctors and staff about this topic, which is so near and dear to me, and how they can incorporate conversations about physical activity into their visits with patients. If every doctor and caregiver in this country were having these conversations, we would have a tremendous impact on the overall health of our patients. I concluded my Friday presentation with a group walk around the scenic Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center campus, with about 50 colleagues. The weather was a sunny 70 degrees, which was a pleasant surprise for late February.

On Saturday, I was at the Westfield Galleria in Roseville for the 8 am kickoff of the new Kaiser Permanente mall walking club, called Walk to Thrive. There were decorations, music, booths and t-shirts to get everyone in the spirit of walking. More than 2,000 people showed up to walk with Kaiser Permanente doctors, family, friends and neighbors. It was an amazing way to start the day. The Westfield Galleria at Roseville is open early morning every day of the week so members of the community can come in and enjoy a safe, comfortable place to walk all year round.

It was very exciting for me to see the Kaiser Permanente physicians in Roseville so excited about exercise and committed to getting their patients more active. Starting with their Physician-in-Chief Chris Palkowski, MD, I was so impressed with this amazing group of health care professionals; it made me proud to also be a Kaiser Permanente physician!

Keep walking for better health!

Bob