LINCOLN SQUARE -- What began as one Chicagoan's weight loss journey has evolved into group walks for residents to explore their neighborhood and build community.
Pamiya Opoku lives between Edgewater and Andersonville and began taking long walks almost a decade ago, using them to lose weight and destress. Those routine walks led her to launch The Walking Hour last year.
The Walking Hour's free tours allow participants to get to know each other while they take a relaxing jaunt through different communities, Opoku said.
"During one walk, one woman said, 'I thought a community is something that you are born in, not something that you create.' And I always think that statement is so eye-opening," Opoku said. "And so I like to use my very people-forward, very extroverted personality to bring people together."
Opoku's most recent event was in April, when she organized a 2.5-mile tour that started in Lincoln Square's Winnemac Park and continued through western Andersonville. Participants included Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th) and Chicago's urban historian Shermann "Dilla" Thomas.
"Running is great, but it's not as inclusive as walking. If you can run, you can walk, right? But if you a walker, you may not be a runner. And so I wanted to create a space that was for everyone," Opoku said.
Since starting her hobby of taking long walks, Opoku said she's lost about 100 pounds.
Over time, she has also realized how calming the experience is. The walks became a great way to deal with the stress of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.
"I just really started to reflect more as I started walking, and I started to feel better about myself," Opoku said.
She started inviting friends to join her on socially distanced walks, which helped her navigate the feelings of isolation before the vaccine was widely available, she said.
"We didn't have to do everything through Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams and all the fun things that we got creative with through COVID. We could actually be together in person, social distanced, but walking and talking," Opoku said. "We were still in community, as that kind of got taken away from us in COVID."
Now, The Walking Hour events offer an alternative for people who might not want to pay for a gym or other fitness membership to stay healthy and active, and the community aspect helps with participants' mental health as well, Opoku said.
For the more information on the group and to keep up with upcoming walks, follow Opoku's Instagram page.