| Start walking now with the Heart Association |
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Posted: Monday, January 18, 2010 10:57 am
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Although 58 percent of American adults have resolved to make improvements in their health this year, more than half say they often find reasons not to exercise, according to an American Heart Association survey.
Excuses range from too much stress at work to having nothing to wear to simple procrastination. The American Heart Association’s Start! initiative is introducing the Start! Daily Walking Guide, a FREE social media application that can get more Americans active and help them keep their health and physical activity resolutions. Nearly half of all Americans use online tools to track their health.
“The Start! Daily Walking Guide is the ideal tool to keep us committed to our New Year’s resolutions,” said Gordon Ferguson, CEO of Middle Tennessee Medical Center. “We spend 164 more hours per year at work than we did 20 years ago, and for many Americans that means lots of time on computers. The application allows you to keep track of your physical activity, see progress, find accountability and get great encouragement.”
The Start! Daily Walking Guide can be downloaded and embedded into a variety of sites including Facebook, Windows Live and iGoogle. Users get started with a quiz that generates 12 weeks worth of customized walking plans, a private journal section that lets users record their walks and reference archived exercises, and keep motivated with daily inspirational messages and heart-health tips.
The Start! Daily Walking Guide is just one of the ways Rutherford County can participate in the Start! movement. Another is by participating in the Rutherford Start! Heart Walk. More than 1,000 Rutherford County residents took steps toward a healthier heart at the American Heart Association’s Rutherford Start! Heart Walk on Sunday, Oct. 18 at Middle Tennessee State University.
The re-tooled event raised more than $110,000 for research, education and community outreach in Middle Tennessee. Middle Tennessee Medical Center was the top team for the event, raising more than $17,000 through the efforts of their employees.
The other teams rounding out the top ten for the Rutherford Start! Heart Walk include Enterprise Electric, Bill Taylor’s Bushido School of Karate, Schneider Electric-LaVergne, Middle Tennessee State University, Schneider Electric-Smyrna, Murfreesboro Medical Clinic, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Farrer Construction, and State Farm. Heart disease and stroke are America’s (and Rutherford County’s) No. 1 and No. 3 killers, despite being largely preventable though a healthy lifestyle.
Cardiovascular disease claims nearly 865,000 lives a year and physical inactivity is a major risk factor for heart disease. Physically active people reduce their cardiovascular disease risk by 30 percent.
The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity, like brisk walking, each week. Download the Start! Daily Walking Guide at www.startwalkingnow.org.
Also available on www.startwalkingnow.org: Customized walking programs for beginner, intermediate and advanced walkers; Online tracking tools to document calories consumed, steps taken and walking routes; Sole-mates social networking capabilities to find and support like-minded walkers; A grocery list builder and archives of heart-healthy recipes; Downloadable seasonal walking guides with tips to maintain a routine regardless of the weather; and Start! walking videos, produced in collaboration with ExerciseTV, making an at-home workout easier with tips and motivation. |
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