Take a Walk

A story from Pierce County Executive, Bruce Dammeier.

You may have heard that the month of August is “Walk Everywhere Month” in Pierce County.  I’ve used that declaration as inspiration to walk more myself.

I don’t know that I’ll win any prizes from the Pierce Trips Walk Everywhere Challenge, but it couldn’t hurt!  And, to be honest, walking more will help me a lot.

Replacing some of the places I drive with a walk will help manage stress, improve my fitness, and even save money.  This week I walked to meetings I would have previously driven to, and even strolled to the site where I regularly donate blood.

Walking is a great way to really see a community and this summer’s weather in another incentive to get outside. And if we’ve learned anything over the last year and a half, we know that being in good health may spare you the most devastating impacts of the COVID virus.

Going for a walk is an easy way to improve and extend your quality of life.  That’s one of the many insights I’ve gleaned from a book I’ve been enjoying.  Years ago, Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow and New York Times bestselling author, set out to study five locations around the world where the residents lived well past 100 years of age (Okinawa, Japan; Ikaria, Greece; Ogliastra Region, Sardinia; Loma Linda, California; and the Nicola Peninsula, Costa Rica).  He called these locations “blue zones” and wrote the landmark book, The Blue Zones.

What Buettner learned was distilled into what he calls the “Power 9” – or traits of people who live in these Blue Zones:

• Move naturally – the Sardinians walk an average of 5 miles a day!
• Purpose – have a meaningful motivation for your work and life (that’s easy for County employees!)
• Down shift – manage stress effectively
• 80% rule – eat to satisfaction level, not fullness, and end early in the day
• Plant slant – beans are the cornerstone of Blue Zone communities and meat is eaten only 3 – 4 times per month
• Wine @5 – moderate drinkers live longer than those who completely abstain
• Belong – having a faith tradition was a common trait of Blue Zone residents
• Loved ones first – prioritize those you love
• Right tribe – surround yourself with good influences and people who share your commitment to a healthy lifestyle

These traits reflect both healthier habits and a strong connection to community.

The Blue Zone philosophy has been taken to many communities across the country – I first heard about Blue Zones at a national meeting of County Executives a few years ago.  There’s even one in Walla Walla – with great, measurable improvements in their residents’ wellbeing and health.

In Pierce County, MultiCare and CHI Franciscan are partnering with us to take a look at the program for our region.  To that end, a community summit will be held at PLU on Monday, September 27 at 6:30 p.m.  You can learn more about the evening and register for the event here.

I look forward to exploring ways to create better health for our residents.

For now, these traits are challenging me to think about how I can make my life a little healthier, better manage stress, and stay connected to my community.

Thanks for reading and go take a walk!