Have you ever considered that being healthier could be as simple as a 30-minute daily walk? Renowned integrative medicine pioneer, Dr. Andrew Weil, believes this whole heartedly, which is why he and Australian podiatrist Phillip Vasyli have devoted an entire shoe line and month-long event to the cause.
The event is called ‘Walkabout: a 28-Day Quest for Good Health,’ and it kicked off March 27th via a virtual press conference. At the media event, Weil and Vasyli shared about the campaign and their ultimate hope for the Walkabout.
The pair’s goal is to get people out there and moving. “The [concept] is very simple, doesn’t cost a lot of money or require a lot of time, and yields great results,” said Weil.
Anyone can participate. You simply get out and walk 30 minutes everyday during the 28-day event. The campaign has also brought on 50 brand ambassadors from across the U.S. to promote the event and encourage participants toward their goals by sharing their daily activity via their personal blogs and social media accounts.
Weil and Vasyli explained that people often think these kinds of health approaches are too simple and they don’t work, but they would argue otherwise. Through their own personal research, they’ve found that walking is one of the best ways to maintain emotional and physical wellness. But that not having the right shoes and pain can keep people from doing so.
In fact, they estimate that 79% of the population can’t walk because of foot, knee, and back pain. One of the major causes of this, explained Dr. Vasyli, is pronation – a condition that causes join misalignment in the leg and foot and ultimately affects your ability to walk.
Their desire to educate people about pronation and help them correct it was the driving force behind the Walkabout campaign and the orthotic shoe line, which is called Orthaheel.
In fact, an integral part of the Walkabout is the shoes, which come in a variety of styles for both men and woman and cost an average of $100. Dr. Weil and Vasyli believe that one of the main reasons people don’t remain active in their age is because of pain, and these shoes aim to fix that while keeping style in mind.
One hundred dollars for sandals may seem like steep price tag, but if they enable people to walk who wouldn’t otherwise be able to, they’re worth the investment. Plus, Dr. Weil donates all of the after-tax profits directly to the Weil Foundation, which is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the cause of integrative medicine.
So whether you buy the shoes or not, Weil and Vasyli encourage you to join the Walkabout. After all, everyone knows how to talk and it’s a simple and excellent activity to improve your health.
For more news and updates concerning the event, visit the campaign’s official website, Healthy Footnotes.
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