American heart association urges more Americans to start! walking

Heidi Veeck did not think she could lose weight. The Gulf Coast Medical Center respiratory therapist weighed 305 pounds and told herself she did not have any willpower. Then she watched her twin sister drop 30 pounds, and Heidi felt motivated to start walking.

“I was as slow as a turtle,” Heidi remembers. “But I just kept doing a little bit more every day. I kept thinking, I’m going to get faster every day.”

Less than a year later, Heidi has shed 102 pounds. Her endurance increased so quickly, she didn’t even notice it
happening. During her 12-hour night shifts, she thinks of how she used to sweat a lot. Now she’s not sweating, she’s actually cold.

“I didn’t want my kids growing up thinking that’s the way you should be eating or that you should be lazy,” says Heidi, mother of three. “I decided to lead by example. Now they see me eating healthy. They see me being active every day.”

Having lost 42 pounds in three months, Jen Bradbury can relate to Heidi’s feeling of empowerment. Jen now finds it easier to paint her toenails, she wears a little more makeup and she even applies wrinkle cream under her eyes before she goes to sleep. Losing weight makes Jen feel better, and feeling better makes her want to look better. But what inspired Jen to start working out at the Center for Rehabilitation & Wellness in January?

“I have three grandchildren and I want to be around for them, because they mean the world to me,” says Jen, a surgical technician at Lee Memorial Hospital. “I want to be able to sit on the floor and play with them. I want to be able to run around the backyard. I want to be able to do whatever and them not be embarrassed of me.”

Jen started her cardiovascular workouts by walking because, as she says, “As big as I was, walking was pretty much all I could do.”

Now she’s jogging on a treadmill, attending spinning classes and
feeling energetic and confident.

When asked, how do you encourage someone to live healthy and start walking, Jen answers simply, “Invite them to go walking with you.”

And on April 8, that’s exactly what the American Heart Association did when the organization invited community members to join their National Start! Walking Day. Local walking paths have been designated at Cambier Park in downtown Naples, City Pier in downtown Fort Myers, Lakes Park in Fort Myers and Joe Stonis Park in Cape Coral. The event unveiled these safe walking paths for local community members and officially kicked off the campaign.

“Our Start! campaign encourages corporations and individuals
to promote physical fitness in their homes and work places,” says
Danielle Broderick, Communications Director for the American
Heart Association. “The movement focuses on people walking as an easy way to get active because it’s accessible, it’s free and it has the lowest drop-out rate of any exercise.”

Danielle suggested employees ask their employers to participate in START! by allowing employees to wear sneakers to work and maybe even going outside and walking together, if only for 15 minutes.

“Walking is also something you can do with your family as a fun
activity,” continues Danielle. “It reduces stress, anxiety, cholesterol, blood pressure and bone loss. Studies even show adults may gain as much as two hours of life expectancy for each hour of regular, vigorous exercise, such as brisk walking.”

Heidi agrees, crediting walking for making everything in her life
easier. At the end of her cardiovascular exercise, she almost feels like she just had a massage because for at least an hour after working out, Heidi feels stress free.

“Why did I wait so long?” Heidi emphasizes. “You don’t have to have a magic pill. You don’t need surgery or some crazy fad diet where you eat only protein. You just have to have common sense, eat right and be more active. You’ll totally change your life.”

To learn more about the Lee Memorial Health System Wellness Centers, click here.