Move with Mayor gains steam in West Chicago
West Chicago Mayor Ruben Pineda is joining nine other mayors in a nationwide initiative to reduce heart disease and stroke by encouraging residents to get up and get moving.
Move with the Mayor is a partnership between the city, Healthy West Chicago and the National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention.
It encourages residents to join the mayor in a walk for 30 minutes on Sunday, Sept. 15; Saturday, Sept. 21; and Saturday, Sept. 28. Each walk begins at a different location and all the details are included on the city's website, www.westchicago.org, under Events/Move with the Mayor.
The first walk at 12:30 p.m. Sunday offers a rare opportunity to get those steps in by walking in the Viva Mexico Independence Day Parade under the Healthy West Chicago banner with Pineda among marching bands, floats and a 13-foot piñata.
The walk begins at Leman Middle School and ends on Main Street in downtown, where a daylong celebration of Mexican heritage and culture will take place.
"We're making it extra enticing for the walk on Sept. 15 by coordinating it within the Mexican Cultural Center DuPage's parade," Pineda said.
"It's all about finding opportunities to add movement to our busy schedules."
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., killing roughly 610,000 people each year, according to John Clymer, executive director of the National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention.
It does not have to be that way, however, because three of every four people can prevent it through healthy diets, living smoke-free and increased physical activity, such as walking.
"Seventy-one million Americans do not get enough physical activity in their daily lives, and that increases their risk for heart disease and stroke," Clymer said.
"And by getting up, getting out, and walking more - perhaps from one meeting to another or other ways in their daily lives - a person can reduce his or her risk and have a longer, more active life."
Research shows that moving for just 30 minutes a day can help combat high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, three of the biggest risk factors for heart disease affecting about 47% of all Americans.
"Mayors around the country recognize that by helping people to become more active in their everyday lives, they can help people have healthier and more vibrant lives," Clymer said.