Emily Walker

Most doctors will tell you what you need to do for better health. At the Seavey Clinic, patients get specific support for how to succeed. Emily Walker is the go-to expert for any patient who wants to make changes and achieve goals that feel fantastic. “I go over exercise, sleep, stress and lifestyle,” she says. “A lot of people know what they need to do, but it’s hard to get into a routine. They need motivation.”

A key tool for her work is a machine in her office called a seca mBCA, a body composition analyzer that provides detailed data far beyond height, weight, and BMI. The data tells her if her patient needs to focus on core or upper or lower body. It also tracks data over time so patients see their progress.

Walker was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in high school, so she relates to her patients with chronic illnesses and works with them to find exercise routines they enjoy. She celebrates patients getting even 15 minutes more minutes of sleep a night as they work toward seven hours. She encourages mindfulness for stress management. “So many people think they are coping fine with their stress, when they are not.”

Walker helps her patients find the right technology tools to track progress. She shares effective ways to integrate exercise into a busy schedule, and for people who travel frequently, she offers strategies for exercising in hotel rooms. She teaches exercises that build strength, which particularly are important for patients who prefer to focus on cardio. She loves yoga and pilates, for men as well as women. She also loves a type of spin bike for home use that digitally connects to a class.

“Doctors don’t know about all these exercise routines,” she says. “They are not necessarily trained in exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle. By being onsite, I can talk to the patient’s doctor about possible limitations and make the right recommendations.”