Go Take a Walk, Says Main Line Doc

National Public Health Week is winding down, but the advice the American Public Health Association has dispensed is evergreen.

Since 1995, the organization has taken a month each April to promote better living. This year’s theme, “A Healthier America Begins Today,” emphasizes the various preventive measures folks can take to prevent chronic illness and live a happier, healthier life.

This week, the APHA is advocating a four-planked road to better health: change your diet, exercise, cut down alcohol use and eliminate tobacco, and drink more water.

Dr. Kristie Nichols has an even simpler message. The primary care physician in the Main Line Health system said she's offering one word of advice to her patients this week: move.

“People just need to get moving in their everyday life,” Nichols told Patch. “Walking more, taking the stairs–you don’t necessarily have to join the gym, but get moving.”

Nichols says that many people take an all or nothing approach to exercise. She discourages this.

“Even if you can go for a walk for just 10, 15 minutes a day, it’s better than nothing. I think people get stuck thinking they have to work out and join a gym and do a couple hours of activity, but if they just did something, it’s better than nothing.”