The American Heart Association is gearing up for our Fall Heart Walk season, creating healthier communities by getting people moving more! Walking is one of the easiest ways to get active and stay active. But we’re not just walking, we’re Heartwalking!
Join us this Fall at one of five Heart Walks across New Jersey. Each Heart Walk is led by a passionate volunteer chair whose role is to recruit volunteers, businesses and organizations to support the walk, which drives the American Heart Association’s mission of being a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives.
- The Central NJ Heart Walk will be held on Saturday, October 6 starting at 8:00am at Arm & Hammer Park, home of the Trenton Thunder in Trenton. The walk will be led by Stephern Allison, DHSc, PA, MBA, Vice President of Cardiovascular Services at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.
- The Bergen Passaic Heart Walk is set for Sunday, October 7 starting at 9:00am at the Express Scripts Campus in Franklin Lakes. The walk will be led by John Goncalves, M.D., FACS, Director of Cardiac Surgery and Surgical Director of the Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) Program of the Valley Heart and Vascular Institute (HVI).
- The Shoreline Heart Walk will be held on Saturday, October 13 starting at 9:00am at the Asbury Park Boardwalk and will be led by Pam Montemurno, Director of Physician and Hospital Relations, Marquis Health Services.
- The Greater Northern NJ Heart Walk will be held on Sunday, October 21 starting at 8:00am at the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange and will be led by Alan Lieber, President of Overlook Medical Center and Vice President of Atlantic Health System.
- The Southern NJ Fall Heart Walk is set for Saturday, October 27 starting at 8:00am at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken. The walk will be led by Suzanne Ghee, Assistant Vice President for Business Growth and Community Health Engagement at Virtua.
Heart Walks are the signature community event for the American Heart Association’s Healthy for GoodTM movement which encourages Americans to lead healthier lives by delivering science-based recommendations, tools, tips and motivation to build healthier behaviors. Held in more than 305 communities nationwide, the Heart Walk is designed to promote physical activity and heart-healthy living through a fun environment that’s rewarding for the entire family.
Four key areas ground the Healthy for Good movement—Eat Smart, Add Color, Move More and Be Well. Unfortunately, about one in three adults participate in NO leisure time physical activity. Getting the recommended 150 minutes of moderate physical activity weekly is linked to lower risk of diseases, stronger bones and muscles, and improved mental health and mood. According to one study, just 25 minutes of brisk walking a day can add up to seven years of life expectancy. In fact, for the average person in their 50s and 60s, moderate exercise could reduce the risk of dying from a heart attack by half.
To learn more about the Healthy for Good movement, visit www.heart.org/healthyforgood.