Aug 14, 2006 By Jennifer Harr 5 min read

When Jes Hutson sets out walking on Friday morning, the health enthusiast won’t be beginning his typical workout. And when he finishes walking four days later and about 200 miles from his starting point, Hutson, and fellow walkers Janice and Ashley Collins of Connellsville, hope more than just their heart rates are raised.

The physical education teacher at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, is walking to raise awareness of childhood obesity and the problems associated with an inactive lifestyle.

During the “Walk the Talk” trek from Uniontown to the steps of the Capitol in Harrisburg, the group will become active witnesses to the benefits of physical fitness.

The trek is just more than 180 miles, and they’re walking it as a “tag team” relay. Most mornings will start at 7, when the group will do its first mile of the day together. They’ll alternate walkers for each mile until the end of the day, when they’ll join together for the day’s last mile. Hutson said he anticipates the day ending around 6 p.m.

They anticipate reaching the steps of the Capitol around noon on Aug. 22.

Hutson said he came up with the idea for “Walk the Talk” after hearing so many times about the benefits of physical fitness.

“We wanted to get past the talking and put it into action,” he said.

Hutson said he has kicked around the idea of a walk for a couple of years, but things came together to do it this year.

Hutson said the goals are to bring awareness to Fayette County and the health issues within the community, and to have fun. Among those health issues are an increase in obesity, an increased awareness of the importance of clean air and the prevention of smoking and drug use and the importance of health school environments for children.

He said Fayette is high-ranking in areas of childhood obesity and diabetes.

The kick-off for the walk will be Friday at Penn State Fayette, where speakers from different health agencies will come to wish the walkers well and send them off on their trek.

Janice Collins said she got involved after Hutson sent out an e-mail offering any fall students who participated extra credit in his health class. Ashley Collins took his class last summer.

“I like to do different things,” Collins said.

Collins and her family are foregoing a trip to the beach to make the walk. For two days of the walk, Janice Collins’ husband, Scott, will join them.

Collins said making the walk was important to her because she enjoys doing things for other people. And with obesity in children on the rise, “We need to make people aware to change their lifestyles because this isn’t healthy,” she said.

While extolling the virtues of taking a walk, Hutson said that people should be less focused on whether they can walk a 12-minute mile.

“People should forget about how fast they’re going, and think about how long they can walk,” Hutson said, noting that the current government recommendation is 60 minutes of cardio activity daily.

Collins acknowledged that exercise isn’t always fun, but looking for the right activity or remembering why you want to get fit can help spur weight loss goals.

Hutson said that getting active helps people not only on a physical level, but also mentally and emotionally.

“Exercise can and will improve one’s quality of life,” Hutson said. “Those who exercise can all verify that.”

Hutson said that a good workout combines cardio, strength training and stretching.

Collins said she draws inspiration from the heart-related death of her father, and the death of her 3-year-old daughter, who was born with a fatal birth defect.

“When she died, I knew I had to do something for other people,” she said.

Collins works at a home for mentally ill people, and she is pursuing higher education to continue lending a helping hand.

Hutson said he draws inspiration from his past. Now a picture of physical fitness, Hutson said he was a “chubby little kid” in his early school days until his father signed him and his brother up for at the YMCA.

Then, it cost $6 a year, and Hutson said he remembers his father telling the boys that they had better use the membership – and Hutson did.

“We lived at the ‘Y’,” he said. “I became a fit kid real quick.”

Hutson’s father died of a heart attack at age 51, and he said he has continued trying to remain physically fit and heart healthy.

To get onto the road to better health, Hutson said people should talk to their primary care physician, and then get into a workout routine. With so many things out there for people to do, “There’s an activity or two for all of us,” Hutson said.

“We’re trying to lead the way by example,” he said.

“One day at a time, one step at a time,” Collins said.

Collins said people need to remember to start out slow, especially if they are overweight. The frustration of not being able to walk fast or do as much as a physically fit friend might curtail weight loss goals.

The group will stop at motels for overnight stays – but even when Hutson joked about staying in tents overnight, it wasn’t enough to dissuade Collins from participating.

“It’s going to take more than that to boot me off,” she said.

And there’ll be no pit stops at fast food joints on the way. Hutson said nutritional fare such as fruits, salads and water will be sustenance for the walkers.

“We’re ready to get going,” Hutson said.