American Heart Month: Walking keeps trio on the right track

The routine is so solid now that the friends don’t even have to make a phone call. By 8 a.m. on weekdays, Ray Hinnant, Samuel Farmer and Bill Woodard are going to have their sneakers laced up for a one-hour workout at Wilson Medical Center’s walking track.

Hinnant (69), Farmer (70), and Woodard (75), each take their individual healthcare needs seriously, and collectively, they’ve become some of the more faithful users of the facility’s path.

“I recently went to the funeral service of my 92-year-old aunt, and she used to say, ‘You have to keep moving your body. If you don’t, it won’t move when you want it to move,’” Hinnant said.

Each of the gentlemen grew up in Wilson in the Stantonsburg Road area. Farmer and Woodard are Army veterans, while Hinnant was a member of the Air Force. Hinnant and Farmer both worked together for more than four decades at the former Kerr Glass facility, while Woodard was employed for more than three decades at Firestone.

Each of the three could easily pass for younger than their birth certificates might say they are, yet walking has become a necessity. Hinnant said the daily exercise helps regulate his blood pressure and keeps down his weight. Farmer had both hips replaced a decade ago, and Woodard is simply following doctor’s orders.

“He told me I need to get out here and walk, and I told him I’ve been doing it every day,” Woodard said. “He said, ‘Keep doing it. A lot of people come in my office breathing heavily and deeply and aren’t taking care of themselves.’”

Farmer said he enjoys that Wilson Medical Center provides a dirt track, which is easier on his joints.

“This is my exercise regimen,” Farmer said. “Walking is better for your breathing. You feel a whole lot better when you are done. It’s probably the best exercise you can do. Most people tell me, ‘You don’t walk like you’ve had a hip replacement.’ Having someone to walk with you is encouraging and motivating.”

The trio enjoys the friendship. If a scheduling conflict arises, at least one member of the group attends most mornings. It’s a routine the men have solidified at the hospital’s walking track since the onset of COVID-19, and one that they have no plans to stop any time soon.

“We’ve done it so long, we get out here, talk and even try and solve some of the world’s problems,” Hinnant said. “It makes for good conversation every morning.”