<\/p>\n Kanagie-McAleese is a doctor who uses walking and other therapeutic interventions to help people support their health.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n She\u2019s passionate about the many benefits of walking<\/a> and the role it can play in promoting longevity, quality of life and even social connection.<\/p>\n While many of us think of walking in terms of physical health, Kanagie-McAleese believes its true power lies in how it can connect us.<\/p>\n \u201cWalking with other people can motivate you, but you’re also spending quality time with other people, and that’s incredibly beneficial for your health,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Here’s why she thinks you should start walking with company more often.<\/p>\n Why we should all be walking socially<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n It combats loneliness <\/p>\n Loneliness is a serious health concern, which can increase your risk of coronary heart disease, strokes and depression.<\/p>\n \u201cSocial connection is one of the six pillars of lifestyle medicine <\/a>and it\u2019s just as important as diet and nutrition, exercise and sleep,\u201d says Kanagie-McAleese.<\/p>\n \u201cSpending time with other people has tremendous benefits in promoting health and longevity.\u201d<\/p>\n It boosts motivation <\/p>\n If motivation is an issue for you, then a little accountability goes a long way.<\/p>\n \u201cWalking with others can challenge you to get out when you may not necessarily feel like it,\u201d says Kanagie-McAleese. \u201cIt can motivate you a little bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n Having a walking buddy can be especially helpful if you\u2019re easing back into activity after an injury or long break.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need somebody who can help you as you’re getting back into the swing of getting up and moving around again,” says Kanagie-McAleese.<\/p>\n It can help identify pain points<\/p>\n Kanagie-McAleese offers Walk with a Doc<\/a> in her community, a non-profit organization that brings together medical professionals and community members for group walks and medical education.<\/p>\n She encourages those with a specific injury or pain to try walking with a physical therapist to troubleshoot issues.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s helpful to walk with someone who’s trained to watch, see how you’re walking, and then potentially offer feedback on what you’re doing, and give you different exercises or movements you can do to fix that problem,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Social Links Navigation<\/p>\n <\/a><\/a><\/p>\n Board-certified in Lifestyle Medicine, Dr. Kanagie-McAleese is a pediatric hospitalist at UM Upper Chesapeake Medical Center. She leads the Bel Air chapter of Walk With a Doc, a free fitness program for people of all ages and abilities featuring short healthcare seminars followed by leisurely walks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s always reassuring to talk to an expert who truly practices what they preach. When I recently spoke…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":107155,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[6647,102,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-107154","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107154\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/PnGLLn6JCYmBbvMLpSFvuV.jpg\")
\n<\/p>\n![\"Dr.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GBqxfUafhTGXFUToJRBo2R.png\")
Marie Kanagie-McAleese, MD<\/p>\n