Area Executive Challenges Community to Start! Walking to Better Health
NOTE: This release was sent from the American Heart Association.
Knoxville area residents will embark on a 5K (3.1 mile) walk to raise lifesaving funds for the American Heart Association and this year, they’ll also be encouraged to start a journey to a healthier lifestyle — with the Start! program. The American Heart Association has reengineered its signature walking event into the Start! Heart Walk to be its “mission in action” and is proud to name Joe Landsman, President and CEO of The University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, chairman of the walk in Greater Knoxville. Landsman holds various community leadership positions across Knox County and has worked for The University of Tennessee Medical Center since 1999.
The Start! Heart Walk will be held on Saturday, November 15 at Market Square in Downtown Knoxville. Under Landsman’s leadership, the event is designed to create a stronger community among participants, instill passion for reducing disability and death from cardiovascular diseases and stroke, and generate excitement for a new or renewed commitment to heart-healthy living through walking and eating well.
The Start! Heart Walk is one of four components of the year-round Start! movement. Other components include a free Web-based fitness and nutrition tracker and The Start! Walking Program for companies. Additionally, the Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Recognition Program officially recognizes employers who champion the health of their employees and work to create a culture of physical activity in the workplace. In East Tennessee, the only company to date to earn this award is Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which also earned the Association’s Innovative Workplace Award. Currently, more than 70 percent of Americans are not getting enough physical activity, a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
“The Start! Heart Walk is an outstanding opportunity for the American Heart Association and the community to come together and focus on creating a culture promoting a healthier lifestyle that’s aimed at reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease and stroke right here in our region,” Landsman said. “I’m proud to have the chance to serve as chair of the Greater Knoxville walk and I hope that through this event, we can begin to change lifestyles, resulting in improved quality of life, increased productivity and decreased healthcare costs.”
The Start! Heart Walk is a community-wide event composed of corporate walk teams, friends and family teams, individual walkers, “lifestyle heroes” who’ve made positive changes to reduce heart disease and stroke risk factors and survivors of the diseases. The fun begins at 9:00 a.m., featuring a Create Hope Village, Inspire Change Village and Celebrate Success Village. There will also be a kid’s area, healthy refreshments, music and more. The walk itself begins at 10:00 a.m.
For further information about the Start! Heart Walk, call (865) 212-6500 or visit www.americanheart.org/greaterknoxvilleheartwalk. To learn more about the Start! movement, visit www.heart.org/start.
National sponsors are SUBWAY®, Healthy Choice® and AstraZeneca. Start! Media sponsors of the Start! Heart Walk are WVLT VOLUNTEER TV, B-97.5, Lamar Outdoor Advertising, Knoxville Magazine and The Metro Pulse with additional support from the Knoxville Convention Center.
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