Your doctor tells you to exercise. It's good for your health!

You want to improve your health, but exercise is so much trouble and can be expensive if you're joining a health club or purchasing equipment. That's why doctors are urging their patients to start with a few basic steps.Just start walking.The American Heart Association says walking is the form of exercise with the lowest dropout rate. It's low impact, easy on the joints and can even help you lose weight. It's the simplest way to improve overall health and wellness.The physicians of St. Luke's University Health Network want their patients to "get their tails on the trail" so much they even volunteer to walk with them through the "Walk With A Doc" program.Walk With A Doc was created in 2005 by a cardiologist in Ohio, who became frustrated when he couldn't convince his patients to make healthy changes to their lifestyles. He invited his patients to walk with him in a local park, not expecting much of a response. To his surprise, more than 100 people showed up. It was such a success, he continued the regular walks and the crowds continued to come. Many of his patients began to see improvements in their health.St. Luke's joined the WWAD program in 2016 as part of the "Tail on the Trail" program, which began locally at St. Luke's Miners Campus in 2014.At that time, the hospital partnered with the Panther Valley School District, which agreed to keep its stadium open from dawn to dusk every day to give local residents of all ages a perfect location for a community walking program. The stadium has been used for earlier WWAD programs and is available to walkers of all ages to continue progressing on their own.The "Tail on the Trail" and "Walk With a Doc" programs have since been implemented throughout the St. Luke's community.WWAD and TOTT events continue throughout the year. Specific dates and times may be found online at SLUHN's activity calendar at

http://bit.ly/2usyFJU, by calling 1-866-STLUKES or emailing

infolink@sluhn.org.The first walk in Tamaqua was led by Dr. Joanne Calabrese. The walk was held in conjunction with the Tamaqua Has Heart tour on June 8. More than 75 people toured the heart route at their own pace, led by Dr. Calabrese.She was so pleased with the response, she agreed to another event. The second Tamaqua Walk With A Doc will be held Aug. 17 and will begin at Dr. Calabrese's office, located at Tamaqua Internal Medicine, 120 Pine St., Tamaqua. The 1-mile walk will begin at 6 p.m. After the walk, participants will be treated to a healthy snack of fruits and vegetables, as well as have the opportunity to ask questions of the doctor.Participants will be able to keep the momentum going with a WWAD event on Aug. 28 at the Panther Valley Stadium. That walk will be led by Dr. Elizabeth Perelli.