AHA National Walking Day

One of my all-time favorite days of the year is quickly approaching… NATIONAL WALKING DAY! I’m not fooling around, this event on April 1st is a blast!;) This holiday was initiated by the American Heart Association to help combat the obesity epidemic and reduce rates of cardiovascular disease and stroke occurrences.

National Walking Day is what helped me launch “Walking Wednesday” that I hold in my neighborhood during the warmer months of the year. The holiday was held last year during my time as Miss Teen Little Rock International- just weeks before winning the title of Miss Teen Arkansas International.

My neighbors and I joined together last year to walk for this holiday.

Some of my little walkers getting high fives :)

I am so excited to celebrate again, and this year I am planning on making it bigger and better than ever!

This is an AWESOME way to support the American Heart Association. It is so simple to get a walk started! Here’s some steps to follow to get your event going:

• Head to http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/PhysicalActivity/NationalWalkingDay/National-Walking-Day-Toolkit_UCM_449226_Article.jsp and sign up.

• Use resources from AHA’s National Walking Day Toolkit to publicize your event on social media.

• Pass out flyers from the Toolkit with a meeting location, date, and time.

• Encourage your fellow walkers to wear red in honor of American Heart Association.

• And last, have fun! Joining together as a community is a blast.

So what are you waiting for? Gather your family, friends, neighbors, classmates, and coworkers and get moving. Let’s not just talk the talk but WALK the WALK on April 1st!

If you believe in something, believe in it all the way!

Blair Wortsmith
Miss Teen International 2014