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Friendship and fitness develop,
step by step.
RUTH UTTMANN STAFF WRITER
The group: Making walking a daily habit.
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11:11°ower lunches have
their place, but power
walks are healthier.
Over the past 10 years, a
steadfast group of eight retired
and semi-retired Jewish men
has met at the Maple/Drake
Jewish Community Center
each weekday morning at 8:30.
From the entrance of the JCC,
they embark on a four-mile ex-
cursion on foot.
Their daily walk has become
more than a good workout. It is
a time for sharing thoughts and
opinions.
"It's therapy for us as well as
exercise," said Philip Sanfield,
a semi-retired art dealer from
Farmington Hills.
"It's kind of an emotional kick
when you walk together," added
Jack Mandiberg, a retired physi-
cian from West Bloomfield.
Members of the walking
group include: Mr. Sanfield, Dr.
Mandiberg, Philip Peven, Neal
Schecter, George Friedman,
Paul Gold, Bernie Goodman
and Bernie Brauer. Paul Sol-
way, who died in 1993, also was
part of the group.
Most of the men were in their
mid-50s when they began walk-
ing together. They had been
friends from the JCC, some
with athletic experience, all
with a penchant for fitness.
"Walking is probably, over-
all, the healthiest activity with-
out strain," said Dr. Peven,
another retired physician.
At Franklin Fitness and Rac-
quet Club, personal athletic
trainer Betsy Pollock offers
some tips to walkers: Warm up
before stretching out. Toward
the end of a walk, people should
slacken their pace, then stretch
out again.
Ms. Pollock says walking can
provide a cardiovascular work-
out as good as jogging, though
walkers may choose to length-
en their exercise sessions about
15 minutes. The key is to ele-
vate the heart rate beyond nor-
mal, but not to the point at
which carrying on a normal con-
versation becomes difficult.
Walkers should exercise in
groups for safety reasons. "I
wouldn't recommend walking
by yourself with a Walkman,"
Ms. Pollock said.
Mr. Schecter, a former camp
"It's therapy
for us
as well as
exercise."
Philip Sanfield
director, used to run in
marathons, but cardiac prob-
lems stemmed his involvement.
"I decided to give that all up and
walk. I really enjoy it," he said.
Men in the walking group
generally travel three different
routes: around the JCC cam-
pus, through nearby subdivi-
sions and along the nature
trails. They walk for one hour
and average a mile every 15
minutes.
Upon completing their daily
trek, the men return to the JCC
to shower, sit in the steam room
and relax in the whirlpool. Af-
terward, they lounge in the tele-
vision room and drink coffee. By
11 a.m., the stint is over — un-
til the next day.
Mr. Sanfield says the morn-
ing's activities help fulfill him
in his retirement.
"This is like going to work. It
provides motivation," he said.
"I prefer being in this routine
more than anything I do."
Through the years, the men
have taken many field trips to-
gether. They always go to places
where they can walk, like Kens-
ington Park, the art museum in
Toledo and up north to one of
the member's cabins. After their
walks at Kensington, which Mr.
Schecter describes as "the high-
light," the men break out the lox
and bagels.
A steady stream of conver-
sation always punctuates their
gatherings. The men argue
about politics, professions and
just about everything else. But
even their sharpest barbs are
laced with humor. They've set
two rules: no talking about
money or dying.
On rainy days the men use
the inside track. Cold days,
however, are not reason enough
to stay indoors. The men bun-
dle up with face masks and
scarves and make a go of it. ❑
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