AHA-Heart-Walk

Rochesterians can not only talk the talk about raising awareness for heart disease, but they can walk the walk too.  The 25th annual American Heart Association (AHA) Rochester Heart Walk, held at the Blue Cross Arena in the heart of downtown on Saturday, raised a record amount of funds. More than 7,200 participants had their hearts in the right places and walked 3.5 miles along the picturesque Rochester River Trail to raise a whopping $673,000 for the AHA.

In addition to fundraising, participants were also able to enjoy food, music, and access to 40 different health and wellness vendors. Event organizers aimed to raise more than last year’s Heart Walk, when 6,500 participants raised $627,000.

The Rochester Heart Walk is the AHA’s largest heart health awareness and fundraising event of the year in the Flower City, with over 148 area businesses participating this year. Among those businesses, CooperVision had 1,200 employees participate — but one employee in particular stood out. Abraham Hernandez received the Lifestyle Change Award for having dropped an impressive 200 pounds by exercising four to five times per week and eating healthy.

The AHA is the largest voluntary health organization dedicated to raising awareness in order to prevent and treat heart disease, stroke, and a variety of other cardiovascular disease. These chronic diseases are the leading causes of death in America for all ethnic groups, claiming more than 813,804 lives each year. Often times, other chronic diseases such as diabetes or sleep apnea can exacerbate heart disease symptoms. In fact, untreated sleep apnea sufferers are up to three times as likely to also have heart disease.

While Gibbon developed the cardiopulmonary bypass in 1953, Americans are still trying to find ways to avoid heart problems in the first place. The AHA recommends a combination of healthy diet and regular exercise, such as walking, to combat heart disease. In particular, the AHA encourages walking or light exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity or exercise per week, in order to derive heart benefits.