Although Craig Krenzel wasn’t gearing up for the football field Saturday morning, he teamed up with Walk with a Doc to play for active lifestyle choices.

After years of mandatory practices and scheduled trainings, Ohio State’s 2002 National Championship quarterback and later NFL quarterback, willingly makes time to keep active by running, cycling, swimming and participating in sprint triathlons. These days, Krenzel fills the competitive void of football by chasing his kids around and doing “the old man stuff,” he said.

For Krenzel, being active correlates with being in a better mood, which is why he strongly supports Walk with a Doc.

He also gave advice to OSU students on ways they can keep active.

“It’s not about being athletic, it’s about fitness and exercising. It’s just getting out and being active, even if it‘s getting out and walking for 30 to 45 minutes,” Krenzel said.

According to the American Heart Association, walking has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity and provides numerous benefits. That’s the main reason the Walk with a Doc program was established in 2005 by Dr. David Sabgir, a cardiologist who practices with Mount Carmel Clinical Cardiovascular Specialists at Mount Carmel St. Ann’s.

“This is important, because walking hits cancer hard, it can reduce colon cancer by 25 percent, breast cancer by 30 to 50 percent, lung cancer 40 to 50 percent, and it cuts the risk of ovarian cancer in half,” Sabgir said.

According to the Walk with a Doc website, the event goal is “to encourage healthy physical activity in people of all ages, and reverse the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle in order to improve the health and well-being of the country.”

The program is held at 8:30 a.m. every Saturday at Highbanks Metro Park in Lewis Center, Ohio. During the walks, advice from Dr. Sabgir is available along with blood pressure checks.

Accompanying Sabgir and Krenzel on Saturday was the Mid-Ohio Food Bank and The Wellness Community.

Mid-Ohio Food Bank asked participants in the walk to bring 10 cans or boxes of food to help in their efforts to combat hunger in central and eastern Ohio.

Fifty to 150 people can be expected on any Saturday depending on the weather, said Kathryn Stephens, executive director of Walk with a Doc.

Saturday was the first walk Columbus resident Bahman Eliaspour was able to attend since having open heart surgery.

“This is my first time coming out for a walk, because I want to live healthier after my surgery,” Eliaspour said.

Walk with a Doc will be coming closer to OSU students when OSU medical students kick off their walk initiative. The event was scheduled for Friday at Fred Beekman Park with Archie Griffin, but it was canceled because of threatening weather conditions.

Medical students hope to get the campus involved by stressing the benefits of exercising. As they’re getting geared up for the program, they don’t think it will be too difficult to get students involved, especially with advertising via e-mail, flyers on campus and word of mouth through professional schools and to undergraduates, said Colin Turney, first-year OSU medical student.

Not only do they hope other students benefit from the program, but they hope to as well.
“It’s great exposure in our first and second years before we will be seeing patients full-time to understanding these things,” Turney said. “We all believe it will make us better doctors.”