The American Heart Association promotes walking as part of a month-long awareness campaign
Spring into health on April 6th by lacing up your sneakers and walking with the American Heart Association to commemorate National Walking Day. Being physically active is important to prevent heart disease and stroke, which are responsible for more deaths in the U.S. than all forms of cancer combined. Heart disease is the leading cause of death and stroke is the leading preventable cause of disability.
And this year, there’s a fun way to participate nationally: everyone who walks on April 6 can “donate” their minutes walked to the AHA by posting their minutes on social media by tagging #AHALaceUp. All minutes posted will count toward a national total goal of 100,000 minutes walked. The American Heart Association is also encouraging individuals and co-workers to post photos of them celebrating National Walking Day by tagging #LaceUpNH.
The American Heart Association invites you to join them at the Brady Sullivan Plaza, 1000 Elm Street, 11:30am on April 6th. A ceremonial 1-mile walk around Manchester will be led by Jim Woodward CEO of Elliot Hospital, Erin Fehlau from WMUR and Mayor Ted Gatsas. Local businesses and residents are encourage to lace up for their heart health at this free community event.
Studies have suggested that moderate physical activity has many proven benefits for an individual’s overall health, such as lowering blood pressure, increasing HDL or “good” cholesterol and controlling weight. All these changes help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, the nation’s No. 1 and No. 5 killers.
“National Walking Day is a wonderful opportunity to spotlight our need for physical activity to improve heart health,” said Jim Woodward, President & CEO of Elliot Health System. “As employers, we know our workforce is the heart and soul of our organizations. Allowing your team a day to pause, lace up, and walk just 1 mile with us on National Walking Day will heighten the awareness for everyone to take care of their cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke here in New Hampshire.”
Broken down into weekly themes, the American Heart Association will kick-off the month-long campaign on National Walking Day to encourage people to adopt a healthy lifestyle by increasing their physical activity routines. Week one focuses on walking and the basic tools you need to get started. Because it’s easy, free and low-risk, walking is the simplest form of exercise you can do and the gateway exercise to other, more vigorous, activities. Week two and three focus on recreational sports and outdoor family activities, respectively, and week four centers around stress reduction and mindful movement, such as Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi.
The American Heart Association recommends that adults participate in at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity or a combination of both each week. Be part of the movement and register for your free toolkit at www.heart.org/nationalwalkingday.