If you are looking to get healthy, one of the first steps you can take is literally taking steps. Walking is just one form of exercise that produces numerous benefits for one’s health. Cardiologists Bukola Olubi, M.D. and Thippeswamy Murthy, M.D. will lead August’s Walk with a Doc event for Piedmont Fayette Hospital and will discuss the importance of exercise and nutrition as it relates to the heart.

Over 80 percent of all heart issues can be prevented with lifestyle changes and, surprisingly, women are affected by heart disease more than men. In fact, one in three women will die from heart disease and 90 percent of all women have at least one risk factor for heart disease. Those sobering statistics are just one reason Piedmont has launched The Women’s Heart Support Network.

“Women need to know the risk factors, they need to know the preventive measures to take and they need to know that there are people out there who are willing to help,” said Dr. Olubi. “Women have a tendency to take care of others first. This program’s aim is to take care of women first and to provide them with the knowledge and support they need so that they can stay healthier for all life has to offer.”

The Women’s Heart Support Network launched in Fayette County in 2018, thanks to a generous donation to the Piedmont Healthcare Foundation from Fayetteville resident Vicki Turner. Piedmont Healthcare is a not-for-profit organization and donations to the Foundation help sustain valuable programs focused on health and wellness in the hospital as well as in the community.

During the walk on Saturday, Aug. 17, Dr. Olubi and Dr. Murthy will answer questions from both men and women about heart health as they walk from the Peachtree City Farmer’s Market at Aberdeen Village to Battery Park and back (approximately 40 minutes). Pre-registration for the event is encouraged. To register visit piedmont.org/walkwithadoc or call 877.527.3712 (toll-free). Please arrive by 8:15 a.m. – the walk will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m.

There will be a Walk with a Doc event on the third Saturday of every month through November of this year. For more information about Piedmont’s Walk with a Doc program, visit piedmont.org/walkwithadoc.