AHA Heart Walk, Healthy Living Festival Set for April 6 on Kaufman Mall

Members of the Old Dominion University community are invited to walk their way to a healthier heart during the American Heart Association's START Heart Walk on campus Wednesday, April 6.

The event is sponsored by ODU's Department of Human Movement Sciences, Office of Recreation and Wellness, and Center for Service and Civic Engagement. The theme of this year's program is "Walking Our Way to a Healthier USA!" This is the second year ODU has participated in the event.

Festivities start at 1 p.m. on Kaufman Mall with a healthy living festival, where local agencies and vendors will offer tips for living a more healthy life. The walk around campus will begin precisely at 2:41 p.m., a symbolic time because statistics show that for every hour you exercise, you get an extra two hours on your lifespan. Thousands of people across the country participate in this annual event to support the fight against heart disease by making a pledge to start walking and become more heart healthy.

In addition to the fitness walk around campus, local fitness buff, author and gym owner Jim White will give the Warren Stewart keynote lecture in Webb Center.

Families with deployed service members are encouraged to send a photo of their loved one to volunteer@odu.edu by 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, to get a special button made that they can wear while they walk.

Also, participants are invited to drop off their used athletic footwear at the START Heart Walk.

All footwear collected will be sent to Nike to be recycled into playground and sport surfaces (tennis courts, basketball courts, etc). To learn more about the process, visit http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/. This donation drive is a preliminary event to Blue Goes Green week (http://studentaffairs.odu.edu/osal/community/bluegoesgreen.shtml).

For more information about Jim White, visit www.JimWhiteFitExpress.com.

For additional details about the START Heart Walk, email volunteer@odu.edu or call 683-6948.