It began in summer 2003. My knee pain led me to seek medical attention to determine the cause of my discomfort. This resulted in a strong recommendation to walk instead of run to reduce the stress on my knee.
As compensatory as this new form of physical activity may sound, it was emotionally devastating. Imagine having competed in marathons for over 30 years, and then being told to not only curtail your running, but eliminate it completely. Denying someone of a mental and physical health-enhancing lifestyle in which they have been engaged for well over half of their lifetime can result in a number of health issues unless an equal, if not better, alternative is discovered.
That alternative became a reality and evolved to become Healthy New Albany, one of the country’s most innovative wellness models. It took many steps to reach this pinnacle.
In December 2003, the walking movement began to flourish as people from surrounding communities gathered on a regular basis to walk around the scenic paths of New Albany. That led to a more formal approach to walking with the founding of the New Albany Walking Club in early 2004.
With walking becoming ever more popular, the idea was conceived to expand the activity of the Walking Club and investigate the possibility of conducting a walking-only race conducted on the same scale as any running race. That is, why not offer age group and overall finisher awards with the idea of walking for health and/or competition?
The only difference between this kind of event and any other 10K event was that running was not permitted. And in 2005, the New Albany Walking Classic was launched with 900 athletes competing. The popularity of this event resulted in sellouts with more than 3,000 participants in the coming years.
As the community was not content with promoting health only through a walk, the importance of overall wellness began to unfold. With assistance from the New Albany Community Foundation, we launched an innovative and comprehensive wellness model. A group of interested community residents was convened, from which the idea of a farmers market, a community garden, health lectures and more was conceived. And thus, Healthy New Albany was founded in 2010.
Shortly thereafter, another idea was launched. Why not have a facility in which medical fitness, physicians, physical therapists and Healthy New Albany can be housed in to provide wellness services to the community? With the support of the New Albany Company, which dedicated the land, and the City of New Albany, which funded the facility, The Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany opened in 2014. Today, this facility serves as the center for wellness initiatives through the community. And it all began one step at a time, beginning with a walk.
Dr. Phil Heit is the emeritus executive director of Healthy New Albany.
