MENTOR, Ohio — With the extreme heat this week, you can still exercise and stay cool by walking in the mall.
The Great Lakes Mall in Mentor opens its doors one hour before retail stores open so you can enjoy the air conditioning and stay active.
Noah Thomas likes to take advantage of the opportunity.
"When I was a police officer, I got hit by a stolen car and had to have multiple surgeries on both legs and my hip. The idea was given to me by the doctor, ‘Why not come up to the mall and do some walking?’ So that's what I’ve been doing," he said.
Mall walking at the Great Lakes Mall is sponsored by the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Suzanne Engel-Kominsky is a Cleveland Clinic physician and said the benefits of mall walking extend beyond physical rewards.
"You can meet new friends, you can have conversations. Commonly, people know that walking is good for them but they may not realize that walking is good for every part of you. It benefits you whether you’re talking about a healthy lifestyle or just trying to take a chronic condition and become more healthy," Engel-Kominsky said.
Don Berlin is a retired fireman and also an active mall walker.
"I retired when I was 62, and I came here about two weeks after I retired. I’ve been coming here ever since," said Berlin.
Berlin said both he and his physician have noticed a difference in his health.
"When I go to the doctor, he says: ‘Keep doin' whatever you’re doin’," said Berlin.
Doors open at 10 a.m. every day for mall walking at Great Lakes Mall. The length of every lap, which includes every side concourse, is one mile.