Healthy for Good™ challenges everyone

Staying active is a no-brainer when it comes to improving how you look and feel, yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only about 50% of Ohio adults are getting the recommended amount of aerobic physical activity.

On May 1, you can take a step in the right direction and start moving more at the American Heart Association’s “Move More Day,” event, sponsored by Booz|Allen|Hamilton. The FREE event will be held at the Dayton VA Medical Center campus, 4100 W. 3rd St., Dayton from 11 am to 1 pm and will feature a one mile walk around campus, a wellness fair with healthy cooking, chair massages and health screenings; and live entertainment.

“We know that that moderate physical activity has many proven benefits for overall health, such as lowering blood pressure, increasing HDL, or “good”, cholesterol and controlling weight,” said Rick Holley, senior vice president at Booz|Allen|Hamilton. “Our company is focused on wellness for everyone, so we are working together with the American Heart Association to help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, the nation’s No. 1 and No. 5 killers.”

The American Heart Association celebrated “Move More Month” in April and this event is a celebration of that campaign, along with a reminder to everyone to stay active year-round. Move More Month and Day are part of the Association’s Healthy for Good movement, which inspires people everywhere to make lasting changes in their health and their lives, one small step at a time.

The American Heart Association recommends adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week. That is only 30 minutes a day, five days a week. And three 10-minute brisk walks count towards the goal. However, only about 22% of American adults meet the federal physical activity recommendations for aerobic and strengthening activity. And, about one in three adults participates in no leisure time physical activity at all.

Healthy for Good is brought to you locally by Kettering Health Network and sponsored by Fox 45 and ABC 22. For more information about walking and living a healthy lifestyle, visit heart.org/movemore.  Call 937-401-4862 for more information about the event in Dayton.