Message calls on people to get active

Real-life Forrest Gump gives tips on health to those at FFCS event

By KERRY McAVOY, The Leader-Herald
FONDA — Forty people ran up and down stairs and between aisles. They jumped up and down and jogged in place, all in an effort to increase their health.

They laughed and giggled and raised their heart rates. They did all this as music played and a fitness instructor encouraged them.

The audience members listened and participated in a presentation given by walking expert Robert Sweetgall Thursday night at the auditorium of Fonda-Fultonville High School.

Sweetgall, often called “the real Forrest Gump,” is the only man to have walked across all 50 states in 365 consecutive days and has walked across the country seven times.

Sweetgall said he grew up in Brooklyn as an overweight child. He was a high school valedictorian and attended Cooper Union in New York City. Sweetgall worked as a chemical engineer for DuPont.

Then, he hit a turning point.

He left his job and devoted his life to fitness after learning of a family history of diseases. He is now a leading authority on walking for fitness.

Sweetgall was sponsored by the Healthy Living Partnership.

He brought his message of eating less and moving more to the audience of varying ages through his Motivation to Move presentation. He taught the audience that “fitting 6,000 footsteps into a frantic New York day” is possible.

Sweetgall spoke of taking simple steps to health. Eating better, moving more, taking charge of your health care and getting children involved in exercise early were all mentioned as steps to improving health and living longer.

Sweetgall also talked about his Active Living Challenge that many people in the audience signed up for. The program starts this May and runs through August. It is 12 weeks of 30 minutes of activity a day. Participants also keep track of their exercises and meals for the day in a journal.

“I’ve never seen a person stick to a program who has not been journaling, and likewise, I have never seen a person succeed at this program who has not been journaling,” Sweetgall said.

Sweetgall talked of his experiences on his cross-country trips. He walked through deserts, blizzards, rain storms and even once slept in a church when no motel rooms were available.

Sweetgall also shared with his audience some of tricks he learned while on the road.

To walk such long distances, Sweetgall rests his feet every hour and ices them. He then coats his feet in cornstarch to stave off sweat. He wears shoes that breathe and never wears cotton socks.

He pre-mailed 450 pairs of socks to different post offices across the nation to have new socks when they were most needed.

Carolyn Green came with her sisters to the event. Green was impressed by the event and enjoyed Sweetgall’s approach of fitness through simple means.

“It shows that people can get healthy by simple means. He doesn’t complicate things,” Green said.

Green also took part in a walk with Sweetgall in which he taught walking techniques. She said she planned to get involved in Sweetgall’s fitness program of exercising 30 minutes a day at various intervals.

Rosanne Doran, extension resource educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension, said she found Sweetgall’s presentation to be informative, inspiring, funny and motivational.

“It is very important for this area. Nearly 10 percent of adults in Montgomery County had diabetes in 2003, and that number is rising,” Doran said.

Doran said the most important thing people could take away from the event is that long periods of strenuous exercise aren’t necessary to have good health. People can do brief periods of exercise throughout the day and still get healthy.

“There is something people can do to prevent chronic illness, and it’s so simple,” Doran said. “Walking, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or even parking further away and walking in.”

Sweetgall said he enjoyed the groups he spoke with throughout the day. Sweetgall taught several seminars, including speeches to health educators, businesses and senior citizens.

“It was really great. I met a lot of interesting people at the extra time periods,” Sweetgall said. “It was exciting to speak to so many different people.”

People wanting information on Sweetgall’s programs or to find out more about the Active Living Challenge can go to his Web site — creativewalking.com.



Kerry McAvoy covers Montgomery County. She can be reached at montco@leaderherald.com.