Start! Lowcountry Heart Walk is coming up

More than 4,000 Lowcountry residents are expected to take steps to improve their heart health on Saturday, September 26, when they participate in the American Heart Association’s Start! Lowcountry Heart Walk at Liberty Square, 360 Concord Street, Charleston. The Heart Walk is locally sponsored by MUSC Heart & Vascular Center, being the local City Start! Sponsor. The fundraising goal for the Heart Walk is $500,000. The event is free to the community, however, donations through fundraising is promoted.

The annual event, which raises funds to fight heart disease and stroke, America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers, begins at 8:00am with registration and 9:00am with the 3 mile or 1 mile walk options. The three-mile walk circles around the Battery and the one-mile walk is for the Little Hearts, or pediatric survivors, and those who cannot make 3 miles. 

The non-competitive walk includes teams of employees from over 60 local companies, along with friends and family members of all ages.

“Brisk walking for as little as 30 minutes a day has proven health benefits, such as providing increased energy and circulation, as well as reduced risk of heart disease,“ said John Sullivan, CEO of Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s Mt. Pleasant Hospital. Roper St. Francis Healthcare is the Lifestyle Change Award Sponsor of the Heart Walk. “The Start! Heart Walk is designed to help participants understand this critical message, join with others, and generate a renewed commitment to heart-healthy living through walking.“ 

Start! Heart Walk participants will experience three “villages” that feature relevant resources and activities.

The Create Hope Village will:

•    Foster hope by bringing together people with similar experiences, sorrows and fears.

•    Allow people to acknowledge their losses and pay tribute to loved ones.

•    Provide an opportunity to honor survivors and individuals whose family and friends have been impacted by heart disease and stroke.

•    Give survivors hope that they can influence their own and their loved ones’ destinies by connecting risk factors to a personal loss.

The Inspire Change Village will:

•    Inspire participants to make changes in their daily behavior that reduce risk for heart disease and stroke, such as increasing physical activity and making heart-healthy choices a part of daily life.

•    Inspire participants to make a long-term commitment in the fight against heart disease and stroke by volunteering for the American Heart Association.

The Celebrate Success Village will:

•    Celebrate individuals and companies that have made significant changes to lead a heart-healthy life (e.g., by being more active, losing weight, etc.) or encourage employees to lead a healthier life.

•    Highlight the successful fund-raising efforts of individuals and companies.

Each day, nearly 2,400 Americans die from a cardiovascular disease. That’s an average of one death every 37 seconds.  A leading risk factor for heart attack and stroke is lack of physical activity. Research has also found that individuals may gain two hours of life expectancy for every one hour of regular, vigorous exercise they do. Each year, we lose approximately 800+ Charleston County residents to cardiovascular disease related deaths.

“We want people to know that it is never too late to ‘Start!‘ down a healthier path,“ said Sullivan.  “Our hope is that the Start! Heart Walk will help jump start a culture of physical activity among participants and increase passion for supporting the lifesaving work of the American Heart Association.“

The annual success of the Start! Lowcountry Heart Walk is due in part to presenting sponsor MUSC Heart & Vascular Center, in addition to Lowcountry businesses such as Roper St. Francis Healthcare; Comcast; SCE&G;Trident Health System; East Cooper Regional Medical Center; Absolute Total Care; Manale Landscaping Company; Sandpiper Retirement Care; Boeing; Colite International, LTD., Somerby Senior Living; Belimed, Inc.; Trumpf Medical Systems; Nelson, Mullins Riley, & Scarborough, LLP; BB&T; AT&T; Charleston Southern University; Select Health; Y102.5, 94.3FM, WEZL 103.5; WCIV-ABC News 4; Charleston Regional Business Journal; and Summerville Journal Scene.

Start! Heart Walk is nationally sponsored by Subway Restaurants®, Healthy Choice® and Astra Zeneca. Last year, more than 1 million walkers raised more than $106 million in 425 Start! Heart Walks across the country.

For information on participating in the Start! Heart Walk, call the American Heart Association at 843-853-1597 or visit the website.

About the American Heart Association:
Founded in 1924, the American Heart Association today is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to building healthier lives, free of heart disease and stroke.  These diseases, America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers, and all other cardiovascular diseases claim nearly 870,000 lives a year.  In fiscal year 2006-07 the association invested more than $554 million in research, professional and public education, advocacy and community service programs to help all Americans live longer, healthier lives. To learn more, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or visit their website.