LifeWalk lays a path toward wellness

Photo by Janet Cook
Sandy Bushberg stands ready to help his walking program participants stride toward healthy lifestyles.

By JANET COOK
News staff writer
January 6, 2007

Those heaping holiday meals and platefuls of decadent desserts may be a distant memory, but for many of us, they live on when we step onto the scale.

That’s where new year resolutions come in, and local clinical psychologist Sandy Bushberg is ready to help people not only make their resolutions to get fit and healthy, but stick to them.

His new program, which begins later this month, is called Life Walks. A small group of half a dozen people will meet five days a week for two months with Bushberg for an hour-long walk outdoors. At the beginning of the program, Bushberg will meet with each person individually to set goals.

Throughout the program, Bushberg will provide reading materials and “homework” for each participant to complete — much of it pertaining to gaining and maintaining a healthy lifestyle from a holistic standpoint.

“The goal is to help people make more permanent changes and understand how many different aspects of their lives come together to help that,” said Bushberg, who has been a practicing clinical psychologist for 20 years.

“A person often wants to make a change in one area, and they look at it narrowly — for instance, they look at the latest diet fad,” Bushberg said. “People are often successful in losing weight, but it’s maintaining it that’s the hard part. If you don’t make changes in the big picture, it’s not likely to work.”

The daily hour-long walks are designed to be the foundation of change for program participants. According to Bushberg, research has shown that it takes at least 28 days to lay down a habit. By making the program last two months, Bushberg hopes to deeply ingrain a daily exercise habit in participants.

“Exercise is a natural mood enhancer,” Bushberg said. “Right away, we’re laying down a habit pattern.” Bushberg also will work with each individual to set goals and help them work to achieve them. Each day, Bushberg will ask that each participant outline several actions that they are taking to achieve their goals.

Another beneficial aspect of the program is the group therapy-type setting.

“As we walk together, people can discuss different issues as a group,” Bushberg said. “In a group setting, you can see that other people have similar issues, and also gain insights from others. It’s about support.” The group setting also helps with accountability, Bushberg said.

Bushberg decided to design the Life Walks program after becoming increasingly alarmed with the deteriorating health of Americans — particularly the soaring rates of obesity and diabetes. When Bushberg and his wife Michelle (also a clinical psychologist) moved to Hood River from New Jersey three years ago, he decided to make major life changes himself.

Along with maintaining shorter office hours and founding, with Michelle, an online tea business, Bushberg, who is also a licenced herbalist, wanted to use his expertise to help a larger group of people.

“I think I have a unique perspective, from the two disciplines I’ve become involved with, to look at people more holistically,” he said.

Bushberg thinks the Life Walks program will help people make positive long-term changes. He’s so confident, in fact, that he’s offering a money-back guarantee on the program.

“People need to have an armament where they can utilize every resource available so this can become something that’s permanent in their lives,” Bushberg said. “I’m really excited about this program.”

For more information about Life Walks, contact Sandy Bushberg at (541) 387-0114. Bushberg also will offer a program called Life Talks at the Hood River Sports Club for those who prefer to be indoors during the winter months.