National Walk to Work Day is April 3
Healthy communities Partnership encourages everyone to walk at least 30 minutes

[April 02, 2015]  LINCOLN - Healthy Communities Partnership encourages everyone to walk to work or walk at least 30 minutes on Friday, April 3 to celebrate National Walk to Work Day. The day was first declared in 2004 by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson.

The American Heart Association acknowledges there are many ways to be active, but walking has the lowest dropout rate of them all. AHA promotes walking because research shows that walking at least 30 minutes a day can help reduce coronary heart disease and stroke plus improve your blood pressure, blood sugar levels and blood lipid profile. Walking can also enhance your mental well-being, reduce risk of osteoporosis, breast cancer, colon cancer and your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Walking also helps maintain body weight and lowers the risk of obesity. In Logan County, over 66 percent of residents are overweight or obese. Healthy Communities Partnership continues its efforts to address obesity with its 5210 campaign promoting a daily lifestyle of at least 5 fruits and vegetables, no more than 2 hours of screen time, at least 1 hour of physical activity and 0 sugary sweetened beverages.

“We encourage Logan County to get out at walk on Friday and use that as their 1 hour of physical activity for the day. The weather is starting to cooperate to promote outdoor activities and we look forward to seeing lots of our residents outside being active whether it’s walking, playing tennis, gardening, running, cycling or whatever activity they choose,” said Angela Stoltzenburg, HCP Manager.

“In addition to our 5210 campaign, we are also proud of our work with the Logan County Regional Planning Commission on efforts to create an outdoor trail system in Logan County. A trail is a long-term goal for our community but we look forward to a future in Logan County where safe activity opportunities are available for everyone.”

Healthy Communities Partnership is a public, collaborative organization comprised of community agencies and private individuals striving to create the healthiest community in America. It is funded by the Abraham Lincoln Healthcare Foundation. For more information or for updates, “like” Healthy Communities Partnership on Facebook, follow HCP on Twitter @HealthyCP, visit www.healthycommunitiespartnership.com,  or call 217-605-5008.

[Angela Stoltzenburg, Healthy Communities Partnership]