Belinda Adams, left, walks the East Campus trail with Duke Run/Walk Club members.
Spring Into Shape with the Duke Run/Walk Club
Belinda Adams couldn't keep up — with her husband,
that is. She tried to run with her husband, Harry, but
she held him back and felt out of shape.
An office manager for the maternal-fetal medicine
division, Adams wanted to exercise, lose weight and lower
her blood pressure. She also wanted to quit smoking. To
reach her goals, she joined the Duke Run/Walk Club, a
group exercise training program offered at no charge by
LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke's health promotion program.
"If I had to do it by myself, experience told me I
wouldn't do it," said Adams, who is 50 and has worked at
Duke eight years. "It's good for me to have other people
depending on me. I can't say, 'No, I'll do it tomorrow'
when they are expecting me to show up today."
The club meets twice a week from
5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on East and West campus. Spring and fall sessions are
offered, which run for 12 weeks. Participants are placed
into one of six walking or running programs from
beginner to advanced levels.
"We have people who are learning how to run at 40,
50 and 60 years old and are training for their first
marathons," said Lauren Updyke, former LIVE FOR LIFE fitness
manager who began the Duke Run/Walk Club. "We have employees with sedentary lives, but by
the end of the session, they can walk for an hour."
Beginning with the spring 2007 season, LIVE FOR LIFE is making it easier for employees
to exercise independently. If employees can't meet with the
club, they can receive training information by e-mail and
online.
For Adams, independent exercise isn't enticing
enough. She joined the Run/Walk Club with co-workers
from Duke Hospital in 2005. At first, she was discouraged.
Her smoking made breathing difficult, and she couldn't
run as fast or as long as other participants.
Support from friends, family and LIVE FOR LIFE
fitness coaches kept Adams motivated, she said. Exercising
became easier when she stopped smoking and began
eating healthier. She lost 15 pounds and now enjoys
running and walking because she feels more energized and
less stressed.
"It's done good things for me," Adams said. Her
blood pressure dropped from 155/90 to a healthy 120/80
without medication. "I feel empowered that I took my
health problems into my own hands and dealt with it."
And she keeps up with her husband on running trails
several times a week.
— By Elizabeth Michalka
Writer, Human Resources Communications
Note to Editors: The his article originally appeared in
Working@Duke in February 2007.
— Article updated December, 2007. |
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For more information, please see the Duke Run/Walk Club web site.
