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The American Heart Association’s National Start! Walking Day was a walk in the park for 214 Huguley employees. Participants completed at least one mile on the Huguley walking trail as part of this national campaign to encourage physical activity and reduce risk of heart disease and stroke. Due to the favorable employee response, Huguley has scheduled quarterly walking days for its employees.
To promote participation, walkers were offered fruit and water at the Huguley picnic pavilion and earned a chance at many door prizes, including tickets to sporting events, massages at the Fitness Center, and gift certificates.
“National Start! Walking Day shares the same objectives of wellness and disease prevention that we emphasize to our employees, our patients and the community,” said Leah Foley, director of human resources for Huguley Memorial Medical Center. According to the American Heart Association, walking has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity and is the simplest positive change individuals can make to effectively improve their heart health. Research has shown that the benefits of walking and moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week can:
• Reduce the risk of coronary heart disease
• Improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels
• Improve blood lipid profile
• Maintain body weight and lower the risk of obesity
• Enhance mental well-being
• Reduce the risk of osteoporosis
• Reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer
• Reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
The walking trail around the Huguley campus measures slightly more than one mile and features benches and exercise stations. Both the walking trail and the picnic pavilion were built with donations from Huguley employees and are open to the public.
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