Mayor Haslam and Mayor Ragsdale proclamed Wednesday, April 16 in Knoxville as "National Start! Walking Day" in honor of the American Heart Association's Start! movement.
The City-County joint proclamation calls on all Knoxville and Knox County citizens to walk at least 30 minutes today.
Each year 1.2 million Americans suffer a new or recurrent coronary attack, and cardiovascular disease is the nation's leading cause of death.
More physical activity can help improve these statistics and adults may gain up to two hours of life expectancy for every hour of regular, vigorous exercise.
Regular walking has many proven benefits for an individual's overall health - brisk walking for at least 30 minutes a day can lower bad cholesterol levels and high blood pressure and, additionally, can help individuals who are overweight achieve and maintain weight loss and reduce their risk of stroke.
The purpose behind National Start! Walking Day is to get Americans to become more physically active by walking.