Walk with a Doc encourages residents of Columbus to walk to a healthier life. Saturdays at 8 a.m., rain or shine, members of Walk with a Doc cruise the paths of Highbanks Metro Park or the corridors of Polaris Fashion Place.

The program offers free blood pressure checks, healthy snacks, recipes, healthy lifestyle tips and conversations with cardiologist Dr. David Sabgir and other healthcare professionals.

Walk with a Doc is strong in numbers with 80 to 100 participants a week and is always adding new walkers. “We have a core, but fortunately it has continued to grow,” says Sabgir.

However, Sabgir prefers to measure the programs success differently. “You can look at success in numbers or success in stories,” he said. Sabgir has seen many participants reach health goals.

The program also has some goals of its own. Since it’s founding in April of 2005, Walk with a Doc has been a model for a program in Dayton and hopes to inspire other programs across the country as well.

Sabgir hopes to strengthen the program by establishing weekday walks and adding locations. “We’ve got a big goal,” Sabgir says. “We basically want to bring exercise to as many people as we can.”

Visit www.walkwithadoc.org for more information.