Robert Sweetgall probably wouldn’t mind being a sleepwalker, provided he could safely manage the challenge.
A 65-year-old former chemical engineer who was valedictorian of his high school class in Brooklyn, N.Y., Sweetgall left a $100,000-a-year desk job 31 years ago to begin an entirely new type of career.
Sweetgall, who has been referred to as “the real Forrest Gump,” has outdone that motion picture’s lead character with an amazing six treks across the country. Sweetgall has walked in all 50 states, scoring the achievement in an 11,208-mile journey over 365 consecutive days.
What gives Sweetgall the energy for so much walking? Probably the opportunity to practice his second love — talking, as in delivering his doctrine on the benefits of exercise and healthy lifestyles. He brought his message to area schools this week and made the first of two public appearances here Wednesday afternoon at Lake Saracen. His final local address is slated for 6 p.m. 7:30 p.m. today at the Pine Bluff Convention Center, where he’ll speak on walking as a tool against the nation’s growing problem of obesity. Admission is free.
Sweetgall told his Lake Saracen audience of about 40 persons that too many people are “focused on Obama Care and Romney Care” when they should be turning their attention to “lifestyle care.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“We spend millions of dollars on insurance and health care when we could save that money and enjoy better health and longer lives by eating right and getting up and moving,” he said.
“Obesity among our children is rampant. For the first time since the Civil War, the current generation of children isn’t expected to have a longer lifespan than their parents. Overall, 200 million Americans are overweight, and too much weight contributes to illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer, all of which can be lessened or eliminated by maintaining an active lifestyle and good health.”
He believes that physical health contributes to mental conditioning and bemoaned the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, saying the legislation has eliminated school recesses in favor of higher test scores among a small number of students. He said research has shown that students who begin their school days with a walk of just five to 10 minutes experience “tremendous improvement in awareness and are calmer and more creative.” Teachers also benefit from the morning walks, he said.
Likening fitness to baseball statistics, Sweetgall said it’s not necessary for a person to “hit a home run every day” with their cardiovascular activities.
“Just figure out a way to get on base,” he said, noting that “singles” add up to equal the total bases of a home run.
“You don’t have to go an hour or more at a time to benefit from aerobics,” he said. “Just 15-20 minutes a day is helpful. When you’re watching a Razorback football game on television, don’t spend halftime on the couch or in your recliner, eating and drinking. Get up and walk at a healthy pace around the block.
“Move a little more and do a little more every day, and put more oatmeal, fruits and vegetables in your diet,” he continued. “Make time to make the changes you need to live longer and enjoy whatever gives you the most pleasure in life. And ask yourself every day which of these two choices fits your schedule better? Thirty minutes of walking or 24 hours of death.”
For more Sweetgall guidance on walking and healthy lifestyles, visit the website creativewalking.com.