Press release from the American Heart Association:
Warm weather, walking weather!
The onset of 70-degree, spring weather means it’s a great time for people to start walking and get on the path to better health.
The American Heart Association will kick off the walking season with a community walk around Parkview Field on Wednesday, April 7, which the has been designated by the association as National Start! Walking Day. Jay Gilbert, President & CEO of PHP, and Chad Carpenter, COO of the Parkview Heart Institute, will kick off the walk at 11:30 a.m. Participants completing the one-third mile walk will receive a Start! goodie bag. Parkview Field will also open its lunch cart during the event.
According to studies by the American Heart Association, every hour of physical activity can add up to two hours of life expectancy by reducing the risk factors for cardiovascular disease, the No. 1 killer of Americans. The easiest, most accessible form of physical activity is walking.
Parkview Field was recently named an official Start! Walking Path by the American Heart Association. Parkview Field is the first Start! Walking Path to be named in Indiana by the American Heart Association. It joins a list of several hundred Start! Walking Paths designated across the country. For a list of paths nationwide or to map a custom walking route in your neighborhood, visit www.startwalkingnow.org.
Parkview Field offers Fort Wayne residents and downtown workers an easy option for adding walking to their day. The concourse is open year round to walkers every day from 7 a.m. to dusk. There is no admission cost. Restrooms are also available. Beginning Memorial Day through Labor Day, Parkview Field will offer a lunch cart with healthy options at minimal prices.
Some fun facts about walking:
- Walking is the single most effective form of exercise to achieve heart health.
- Walking an extra 20 minutes a day will burn off 7 pounds of body fat each year.
- Walking on a regular basis increases bone density, decreases mental stress, and improves circulation.
Physical activity reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, colon cancer, dying prematurely.
Start! is sponsored nationally by SUBWAY® Restaurants and locally by PHP and Parkview Health. For more information, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or 260.437.9034 or visit www.startwalkingnow.org.
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