Lace up your sneakers and celebrate National Walking Day with Health Promotion and Wellness, the American Heart Association Greater Illinois, and Advocate BroMenn Medical Center on Wednesday, April 1, at noon on on the Quad.
Physical activity is an important part of everyone’s day. The majority of people do not meet the recommended daily guidelines for exercise, which means they are at a great risk for heart disease, stroke, and other blood vessel disease. Heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of both men and women in the United States.
Taking an activity break is not only good for your body. Movement throughout the day also clears your mind and helps you focus on school or work. So take a break and have some fun on the Quad!
Walkers who complete a loop of the Quad will get a free sandwich from Subway. All attendees may enter to win prizes, including a gift card from Subway and a FitBit. Participants can also complete additional activities such as blood pressure checks, nutrition trivia, and more. Each additional activity completed equals an additional entry into the prize drawings. Heart health information and other wellness resources will be available from various campus and local organizations. This is a free event open to students, employees, and the entire Illinois State University community.
What: National Walking Day walking event
When: noon Wednesday, April 1
Where: Quad, specifically Schroeder Plaza in front of Schroeder Hall. In the event of inclement weather, the event will be held on the concourse level of Redbird Arena.
- Warm up with Campus Recreation at 12:05 p.m.
- Walk a loop of the Quad (or more!) with Reggie at 12:10 p.m. (but feel free to stop by anytime between noon and 1:30 p.m.)
- Complete extra activities along the route to receive additional entries into the drawings for prizes such as a Subway gift card, a FitBit, and more.
- Visit with campus and local organizations such as Health Promotion and Wellness, Campus Recreation, Student Health Services, American Heart Association Greater Illinois, Advocate BroMenn Medical Center, Fleet Feet Bloomington, and more!
- Post photos of you walking using the hashtag #ISUWalks to also gain additional chances to win prizes.
Additional event features are free Subway sandwiches for those who walk at least one loop of the quad, blood pressure checks, photo booth, prize drawings, and campus/community health resources. This event is open to Illinois State University students, employees, retirees, and the entire Illinois State University community.
Additional resources
- Activity throughout the day: make time to move!
- Active workstations in use on campus
- Cholesterol guidelines: myths vs. truth
- Go red for women
- Health Promotion and Wellness “Love Your Heart” Pinterest board
- Heart health for young adults
- Heart health information | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Is sitting the new smoking?
- New cardiovascular disease prevention guidelines
- Understanding New Heart Health Prevention Guidelines (updated November 2014)
- Women’s heart health at all ages
