PEOPLE Tucker volunteers promote walking for wellness

Walking on sunshine: Tucker volunteers form an all-ages movement to walk for wellness

By Logan C. Ritchie

At the height of the COVID pandemic, there were two fail-safe modes of socializing: virtual meetups or meeting outdoors. Lois Ricci, a Registered Nurse, expert on aging and professor of gerontology, heartily engaged in both.

Her buoyancy and vitality are not surprising to those who know Ricci, an 80-yearold Tucker resident. She never stops asking questions and she loves listening to different perspectives.

During the pandemic, Ricci helped bring America Walks to her community.

The national program focuses on improving access to public paths. Ricci believes getting people walking will help improve their health. Her goal is to build all-ages walking groups across Tucker and to conclude the year with a community celebration in November.

“It’s not about age,” Ricci said. “It’s about aging well.”

Her first step was to take a six-month leadership course called The Walking College. Participants were paired with mentors to learn the historical underpinnings of a car-centric society, basic design and policy of nonmotorized transportation and

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Lois Ricci and her husband John walk daily in their Tucker neighborhood (Photo by Logan C. Ritchie )

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Next, participants created a blueprint for taking action in their communities. Ricci’s message is that anyone of any ability can be active.

“Anybody can be out there walking,” Ricci said. “Whether you have a cane or a walker or a wheelchair, you should be out there socializing and interacting.”

Ricci enlisted volunteers to promote walking through a committee she chairs, Tucker Lifelong Community. It’s an arm of the Tucker Civic Association that focuses on maintaining an age-friendly community designation through the World Health Organization.

A walking program fits right in, using seven of eight domains to address barriers to seniors’ wellbeing and participation in their communities. The

domains are community and healthcare, transportation, social participation, outdoor spaces, housing, respect and social inclusion, civic participation and employment, and communication and information.

Fellow Tucker Lifelong Community volunteer Tommy Lupo is a biking and walking advocate. In fact, he has never owned a car. Lupo said since his hip replacement three years ago, walking has become his main mode of transportation. He prefers walking around parks, particularly the trails at Johns Homestead in Tucker.

Lupo’s role in the America Walks program is to map out walking routes by length and difficulty for people of all abilities, using tools like AllTrails.com and Safe Routes to School.

The goal of America Walks? To make walking safer, to engage more residents in exercise and to socialize. Education is a big part of the movement, too.

“Walkers and bikers can be mutually respectful by calling out to each other, and drivers can be more aware of blocking sidewalks when they’re pulling out,” said Lupo, who is a proponent of Complete Streets, a policy to ensure safety, comfort and access for all people. “Cities can improve walkability with sidewalks, lighting and slower speeds.”

Ricci and Lupo said they’re actively recruiting individual walkers, walking groups and volunteers. The team is working on a website linked to Tucker Civic Association with information on walking routes, scheduled events, supporting information and more.

Walking is one of the best forms of exercise, Ricci said. It’s the most underrated, fat-burning, brain-boosting, healthy thing you can do at no cost.

“Physical fitness leads to mental fitness,” Lupo said.

For more, go to americawalks.org or contact Tommy Lupo at wolf1069@aol.com or Lois Ricci at loisricci@bellsouth.net.

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