Ok, so the last 11 months have sucked. In countless ways, right? I would agree with just about all of my cardiology patients — it’s been almost a full year of loneliness and diminished feelings, and we’re sick and tired of not being able to give (and get) hugs!
Everyone is feeling this way.
Well...I have some GOOD news. First, there’s the obvious:
Last week, the United States gave over 1.43 million coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations per day, and every day we are getting closer and closer to ‘herd immunity.’ As you know, these vaccines are very, very effective (thank you, scientists!).
We’re now over the hump of our ‘dark winter.’ March (read: flowers, birdsong, smiles) is just a couple weeks away. We will very soon be returning to friends and family, more time in our parks, and the countless other things we’ve been missing so terribly.
This locomotive is gaining speed.
I can smell the steam starting to pour out of the engine smokebox.
I cover my ears as the whistle grows louder and louder.
I can feel the tracks shaking as this shiny beast is beginning to rumble.
We’re almost there my friends, we just need a couple more distractions to help ease us through.
What might some of those distractions look like? Well, I’m so glad you asked. Walk with a Doc has one — a big one. In celebration of February being Heart Health Month, we’ve teamed up with Fresh Avocados – Love One Today® to offer our brand new, virtual Grand Canyon Adventure. This virtual event will last two weeks and is free to participate in! It is a “thank you” for all you’ve done for us, for yourself and for others since this pandemic started.
The Walk with a Doc Grand Canyon Adventure focuses on bringing us three things our heart needs more of:
- Social connection
- Physical activity
- Time outside in our parks
There are many ways you can participate. You can join with a friend or two to form a team, or you can go it alone (over 1,000 people have already registered, so you’ll have plenty of teammate options). The goal is to virtually cover a 70-mile Grand Canyon trail from February 13-26, 2021.
A wide range of activities (biking, swimming, cooking, etc.) count towards your goal and are converted by the program into hiking miles. You will also be able to see the view from where you’ve ‘climbed’ to that day.
There’s no catch. We just all need to be together right now, and this is the perfect opportunity to see old friends and make new ones, get active, and ‘get credit’ for all the activities you do throughout the day. This is an easy, fun, interactive way to do that.
You’ve been incredible for the last 11 months, and we’re almost there. I hope you’ll be able to join us, and I can’t wait to ‘see’ you out on the Grand Canyon trails!
David Sabgir, MD, FACC, is the CEO of Walk with a Doc.