Free Tele-Town Hall: Red Flags & Real Solutions: Protecting Yourself From Fraud on April 30 at 1 p.m. ET.

Content starts here

Walking for Health — and Friendship

Take a stroll with older adults, college students, doctors

Frederic Frommer,

AARP

Published May 01, 2026

Getty Images

When Becky Guinn and her husband Larry Guinn started participating in Walk with an Eagle — a joint program of AARP and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse — they figured it would be a good way to get out of the house once a week and talk to people.

In their second year, she says, they wound up meeting one of the nicest students: a young woman named Lexi Stoychoff.

“And so we got to know her really, really well, and we really liked her, and we just really made a connection with her,” says Guinn, 68.

The experience of the Guinns demonstrates the kind of benefits that Wisconsinites are getting from AARP walking programs, which not only help older adults get exercise but also provide the kind of social connections important for people of all ages.

In addition to the UW-La Crosse program, AARP offers a walking program in Milwaukee that pairs people with medical professionals. The initiatives provide opportunities for Wisconsin residents to take advantage of the many benefits that walking has to offer.

Walk with an Eagle — named for the university’s mascot — pairs adults 50 and over with college students for weekly 45-minute walks. The program, which is part of the university’s Recreational Therapy for Older Adults course, lasts each year from mid-February to mid-April.

“People kind of dismiss people in other age categories,” says Guinn, a retired social worker who lives about a mile from campus. Walk with an Eagle, she says, provides each group a view of what the other is like.

“What comes along with it is a lot of respect for where each other’s at in life,” she adds.

Stoychoff, a 22-year-old senior from Monroe, Wisconsin, did the program with the Guinns last year and feels the same way.

She’s eaten at the Guinns’ home, and the Guinns have met her family. “They feel like another set of grandparents,” Stoychoff says.

INTEREST FROM THE START

Most Popular

Jenn Taylor, an associate professor in UW-La Crosse’s Recreation Management and Recreational Therapy Department who co-created Walk with an Eagle with AARP Wisconsin, recalls that when it started in 2023, she was nervous that nobody would show up. But she was delighted when 15 students and 20 older adults were there.

“I was also surprised how quickly the group gelled together,” says Taylor. “Conversations were natural, and immediately after the first walk, students couldn’t stop talking about how much they had in common with their walking partner. ”

All the participants “just really enjoy that connection,” she says. “And I definitely wasn’t prepared for how much the walkers loved coming, even though I’ve worked in the industry for years.” The walkers have ranged in age from 55 to 90; one walker just turned 91 this year.

Darrin Wasniewski, the senior associate state director of community outreach for AARP Wisconsin who collaborated with Taylor on the program, says that two or three community members typically are grouped with one college student in the walks.

“The college students have come to appreciate it just as much,” he says.

LEARNING AS YOU WALK

On the other side of the state, AARP Wisconsin hosts a twice-a-month program called Walk with a Doc in Milwaukee, with each walk led by a doctor or other medical professional. It’s affiliated with the national Walk with a Doc organization.

The Milwaukee program — one of several AARP Walk with a Doc pilot programs launched nationwide in 2022 — is year-round, except for a holiday break.

“It’s very intergenerational — we have people of all ages,” says Amber Miller, senior associate state director of community outreach for AARP Wisconsin. You don’t need to be an AARP member to join in.

“Our smallest walker, she’s 6 years old,” Miller says. “And then it’s her, her grandma and then her great-grandma.”

On the walks, the doctor or other medical professional might talk about the importance of sleep or the benefits of exercising, Miller says.

Taylor says walking is a great way to get exercise and maintain health as people age. Research shows that walking for 150 minutes a week — or 30 minutes a day, five times a week — offers a host of health benefits. Those include improving heart and lung strength, lowering the risk of Type 2 diabetes, boosting the immune system and building muscle strength.

“You don’t have to have special equipment, other than some comfortable shoes maybe — but you don’t have to go to a gym,” she says. “It’s really just open up the door. And if it’s too cold, then find a place inside.”

Take a Hike

Research from the Mayo Clinic, Harvard Medical School and other experts touts the benefits of walking for mental and physical health.

Helps with cardiovascular health, by getting blood pumping throughout the body.
Mitigates bone loss as people age.
Helps burn body fat and maintain a healthy weight.
Prevents and manages medical issues, such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes.
Raises energy levels.
Lowers the risk of developing breast cancer.
Eases joint pain.
Boosts immune function.

Want to start an AARP walking group? createthegood.aarp.org/volunteer-guides/start-walking-group

Walk with a Doc: walkwithadoc.org

More AARP Health and Walking Resources

Walking for Weight Loss

Why It's Important to Pick Up Your Walking Pace

5 Ways Walking Can Boost Your Brain Health

Frederic J. Frommer is a Washington, D.C.–based journalist and author for AARP who brings more than three decades of reporting experience to stories on public policy, health, and livability issues affecting older adults.