“ I’m more agile. The walking keeps my joints really good. Doing the mall walking gets me up early in the morning and helps me keep a regimen and then you feel better.”
“ Initially I came to the mall to walk because of the weather. And then after I started, I really enjoyed it because I meet people. The manager and walkers are so nice. If something happened to me, I know they would take care of me. They make me feel safe.”
“ Most people are pretty close to your own age. By walking, I maintain my weight, and I feel better. Sometimes I don’t even feel like coming, but I know that when I start walking, I will feel better.”
“ I think it just works best that we have a large space that’s very open. It doesn’t rain or snow in here, and so that always works for them. And then there is no cost. It is really of benefit to someone who just wants to get up in the morning and get their walking done. And then it’s safer than walking out in the street. One advantage to walking in our mall is that we are indoors, and it doesn’t rain. You can always consistently know what the weather is in here. That is probably the best thing that our walkers like. Having just the large space that’s readily available for them that’s safe is probably what makes this successful. One of the benefits of having the mall walkers is that there are extra eyes on the mall. If they see a concern around, they usually come and share that there is something wrong out there. They’ll stop security or they’ll stop in the mall management office.”
“ Every visit that I make to the cardiologist, he says, ‘You’re doing fine. Keep doing what you’re doing.’ I like all of the people that come to this site. I’ve gotten to know most of them and they come and they go. They’re a nice bunch of people. I enjoy talking to them and walking, and socializing. It’s the camaraderie and the social aspect that I enjoy most of all.”
“ The people that are walking I think have a conscience, you know, they’re concerned about their health. I would say that they’re positive, and they’re looking forward, and they’re looking to make things better. They’re not at home giving up and sitting down. They’re out working to make themselves healthier.”
“ The [shopping] cart helps me to walk faster and straighter…without it I couldn’t walk as far.”
“ The [shopping] cart helps me to walk faster and straighter…without it I couldn’t walk as far.”
“ We do it as a community service, to be a part of the community and to invite the community in.”
“ It’s always climate-controlled and dry and a place for people to get exercise.”
“ Well, I know where to go shopping for my wife for her birthday, because I window shop while walking!”
“ First of all, there is nobody there saying, ‘Ah-oh, you’re late, okay?’ It’s up to you to do whatever you’re going to do. I like that…No pressure on whether you’re there or not. If you’re not there, I’ve noticed that some people will ask, ‘Where have you been?’ It’s like somebody cares.”
“ The benefit of the walking program is obviously the exercise and getting out, getting going, but then also there is the social component to it. Typically, after the walking program is done at about 9:30, there is a whole cluster of them that meet at Starbucks and sit and have coffee and chat together. It becomes a real support and nice social interaction.”
“You get to walking and talking. Pretty soon you see the other people and you just start to chit chat with them. It’s a really nice social setting. I have some nice friendships with other walkers. I feel safe here. I’m warm and dry and the people are friendly.”
“I was walking the streets. I had a bright vest on because I didn’t want to get clobbered by a car in an area where there are no sidewalks. There are a couple of pretty busy roads, but you avoid them like the plague. It made it so much nicer to walk in the mall where you didn’t face those issues.”
“ People walk for their health, and they walk for the social contact. I think that is a huge thing. A majority of people have coffee afterwards with their friends whom they’ve gotten to know. I would say the majority of them are pretty, what I would call community spirited, because they look out for the community.”
“ It’s almost like a drug. If you miss a day, you really feel it.”
“Sometimes if the nurses get there early, they will walk…They practice what they preach. They know us all by name.”
“ Through the people we met mall walking, we started the Kitchenaire Band, where we used kitchen implements (e.g., teapot) for our instruments.”
“It’s been really good to see that they [walkers] have become committed, and they do enjoy it, and they have benefited from it. We have seen people lose weight. We have seen blood pressures drop, and we have also seen friendships evolve. It’s really been fun.”
“ They [walkers] really are committed to it and like it. They’ll thank us at every opportunity they get.”
“ It’s addictive when you start walking every day because you are just not feeling good unless you do it.”
“ There is not only the exercise component, but also the social component. A lot of people live alone, and so the sociability is welcomed. I think it’s a great program. I’m amazed at some of these people that are quite a bit older who are in their 90s, and they’re still coming out walking.”
“A lot of strollers with toddlers join us on our walks. When you don’t have children and you’re older, it’s fun to see them and be with them. I think other people feel that way. They’re so cute and the walkers enjoy it.”
“ I’ve met some really nice people that I’ve become friends with. I think the social part is very much a reason for coming, because I’ve met people that I would never have met.”
“ Getting out and seeing folks I think helps me as much as anything at my age.”
“It is a terrific place to walk. It’s like having an enormous garden of your own. It’s just a delight. I love the animals…This is convenient for me, it’s something I’m familiar with, and I know the folks here.”
“The walkers come in pretty good numbers. Even when it’s raining hard or blowing, they’re out there with their umbrellas and bundled up! I really admire them!”
“A few of our parents have commented that they really appreciate that we incorporate [walking] into our program. Once the students leave high school, they don’t have physical education. A lot of our students tend to choose not to be as physically active on their own. The walking has helped some of our students lose weight. We also talk about nutrition. We do a whole nutritional program about making healthy choices just in general. I think that parents are seeing some weight loss. But then also just an awareness of needing to get out and move.”
“The fact that it’s a no-cost program is really great for our students. The fact that it’s year-round is fantastic, because I would like to think that as my students exit the school system, they would continue to participate in activities for their health, to encourage healthy living.”
“Students with developmental disabilities from a nearby school come here and walk. We track them for their PE credits. At the end of the walk, I have it all tallied for them so that they get their credits.”
“I make laminated signs and post them in the arena. One of them has a guy jumping jacks, and so when the kids get to that sign, they do 10 jumping jacks and then move onto the next sign. There’s a section where they can go up and down stairs. I’ll put a sign up that says ‘stairs,’ and then I have a picture of a guy going downstairs. I incorporate words with pictures. I had a couple of fun ones too. One might say ‘dance,’ or the ‘zombie walk,’ where they try to walk like a zombie. ‘Crab walk’ is another one.”