You’ve heard the statistics: One out of every four deaths in the United States is due to heart disease.
Heart disease remains the number one killer across most ethnic groups, including African Americans, Hispanics, and whites. (Heart disease is second only to cancer as cause of death for American Indians or Alaska Natives and Asians or Pacific Islanders.)
But have you heard these more encouraging numbers? At least 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week can help protect your heart health. And the great news is that you don’t have to do that 30 minutes of activity all at once. If you can’t find time to take a 30-minute walk, taking three 10-minute walks will get your heart going, too.
With that in mind, NLM is participating in the #OurHearts campaign this month by encouraging staff to get out and get moving. We launched our own Heart Healthy Challenge on February 8 with an outdoor walk that brought about 70 folks out into a brisk Friday morning to get the blood pumping. Dr. Gary Gibbons, Director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, joined us and offered a few remarks, noting particularly the power of working together for heart health within our families and communities. And he’s right, of course. Research shows that having social support makes it easier to be heart healthy.
So get out there and celebrate the power and strength of acting together to be heart healthy. Walk, run, dance, cycle—move! And then let us know what you’re doing for heart health.
NLM is doing its part, but your heart depends on you!
i walk to and from work every day about 1.6 miles each way. Then I usually take some other walks as well bringing my daily total to between 6-8 miles per day. Great way to unwind as well.