April is National Move More Month, which encourages everyone to incorporate more physical activity into their day to reduce cardiovascular disease and other threats to good health.
Created by the American Heart Association, Move More Month's principles are supported by Primary Care Coalition staff during April and throughout the year. Dr. Veronica Vela, PCC’s senior director of Healthcare Access, and Mindy Pierce, senior director of Nexus Montgomery and Population Health Programs, host walking meetings as part of their schedule to allow staff to move around.
“Several of my team members love these meetings,” said Vela. “We can speak freely, and walking also gives us a chance to catch up as humans, making the collaboration flow more easily. I also find that being in back-to-back meetings via Zoom can be wearing. The brain has to process a lot of information in ways it wasn't meant to. We weren't designed to sit in front of computers for hours at a time. Walks are energizing, and I come back to the office renewed and ready to work.”
The value of exercise has been recognized as far back as the Roman Empire, when statesman and orator Marcus Tullius Cicero said, “It is exercise alone that supports the spirits and keeps the mind in vigor.”
Although 10,000 steps a day has long been considered the gold standard for maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle, fewer steps can accomplish health benefits. According to a study published last year in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 3,967 steps a day can reduce the risk of dying from any cause and walking 2,337 steps a day can reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Maintaining an active lifestyle helps prevent heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and depression.
There's another benefit to hosting walking meetings like the ones held at PCC. “Movement removes stagnant feelings and positions. When you move, you start thinking about how to adapt, which helps shift one’s position and makes for more productive meetings,” said Vela.
For anyone who wants to add more exercise to their day, the American Heart Association also offers five-minute workouts and fitness-on-demand classes. Start today by finding ways to move more. Even small changes make a difference.
Created by the American Heart Association, Move More Month's principles are supported by Primary Care Coalition staff during April and throughout the year. Dr. Veronica Vela, PCC’s senior director of Healthcare Access, and Mindy Pierce, senior director of Nexus Montgomery and Population Health Programs, host walking meetings as part of their schedule to allow staff to move around.
“Several of my team members love these meetings,” said Vela. “We can speak freely, and walking also gives us a chance to catch up as humans, making the collaboration flow more easily. I also find that being in back-to-back meetings via Zoom can be wearing. The brain has to process a lot of information in ways it wasn't meant to. We weren't designed to sit in front of computers for hours at a time. Walks are energizing, and I come back to the office renewed and ready to work.”
The value of exercise has been recognized as far back as the Roman Empire, when statesman and orator Marcus Tullius Cicero said, “It is exercise alone that supports the spirits and keeps the mind in vigor.”
Although 10,000 steps a day has long been considered the gold standard for maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle, fewer steps can accomplish health benefits. According to a study published last year in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 3,967 steps a day can reduce the risk of dying from any cause and walking 2,337 steps a day can reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Maintaining an active lifestyle helps prevent heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and depression.
There's another benefit to hosting walking meetings like the ones held at PCC. “Movement removes stagnant feelings and positions. When you move, you start thinking about how to adapt, which helps shift one’s position and makes for more productive meetings,” said Vela.
For anyone who wants to add more exercise to their day, the American Heart Association also offers five-minute workouts and fitness-on-demand classes. Start today by finding ways to move more. Even small changes make a difference.
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