Start! walking campaign encourages heart health throughout the community

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.”

Lee Memorial Health System and the American Heart Association want to inspire change — like the change Heidi has undergone — throughout the com- munity. The organizations

are encouraging

local businesses,

communities and

organizations to participate in the Start! initiative.

Start! is a national campaign calling on all Americans and their employers to create a culture of physical activity and health through walking. The American Heart Association recognizes corporations through the Fit Friendly Company Recognition program, and individuals through Lifestyle Change Awards.

“Our Start! campaign encourages corporations and individuals to promote physical fitness in their homes and work places,” says Leslie Amick, senior regional 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.”

Participants in Start! Walking program can track their progress daily on the American Heart Association’s Web site. The Start! Walking program offers tips to help walkers increase their distance and pace, as well as tidbits about the benefits of being active. The site has expanded to now include nutrition tips and tools to support healthy eating habits.

To date, 35 companies in Lee County have signed up to participate in the program, and four communities have joined and created walking programs through the Lee County Health Department. “This is truly a community partnership,” says Sally Jackson, LMHS System director of community projects. “The local campaign started with a steering committee that is representative of the whole community.”

Ms. Jackson encourages local businesses to consider becoming American Heart Association designated Fit- Friendly companies. Fit-Friendly status means that companies go above and beyond when it comes to their employees’ health. There are six Fit-Friendly companies in Lee County, including LMHS.

Another component of the campaign is the Start! Walking Paths that have been designated by the American Heart Association. There are nine of these paths in Lee County. Paths were recently designated at Cape Coral Hospital, Gulf Coast Medical Center, HealthPark Medical Center and Lee Memorial Hospital. Local walking paths have also been designated at City Pier in downtown Fort Myers, Lakes Park in Fort Myers, Jaycee Park in Cape Coral, Four Mile Cove Ecological Preserve in Cape Coral and Joe Stonis Park in Cape Coral.

“We have done this so that our employees will have somewhere to go outside and get exercise,” says Mr. Jackson. “The paths are part of an ongoing message to employees and the community that we support every opportunity to be physically active and promote a healthy lifestyle.”

She adds that the American Heart Association Start! Heart Walk, which takes place Dec. 12 at Centennial Park in Fort Myers, is a community celebration that reinforces the importance of a healthy lifestyle. “Everybody has someone close to them who’s been affected by heart disease or stroke, so this is something we do to support their needs and benefit the entire community,” she says. 