FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 29, 2008
Contact: Randy Marcus
Phone: 804-786-2078
Cell: 804-814-7117
Email: randy.marcus@ltgov.virginia.gov
BOLLING ANNOUNCES OVERWHELMING RESPONSE AND PARTICIPATION IN LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR’S CHALLENGE HEART HEALTH INITIATIVE
- 2,688 Virginians have taken the Lieutenant Governor’s Challenge in first three weeks-
-Participants have completed the equivalent of 400 days of physical activity-
-Robert Lyons of Charlottesville first person to reach goal and earn medal-
RICHMOND – Earlier this month Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling kicked off The Lieutenant Governor’s Challenge: Your Heart is in Your Hands initiative, a heart and cardiovascular health campaign designed to promote heart health education, healthier living, increased physical activity and improved diet and nutrition.
In the first three weeks since the announcement, 2,688 Virginians have signed up to participate in The Lieutenant Governor’s Challenge. Those participants have completed over 577,000 minutes of physical activity, which is the equivalent of 9,717 hours or 400 days of exercise, and earned 38,000 nutrition points for eating fruits and vegetables.
“I am very pleased that so many Virginians have accepted The Lieutenant Governor’s Challenge and are actively working to improve their heart health. More than 20,000 Virginians die each year from heart disease related illnesses, but that doesn’t have to be the case. By taking simple steps to increase physical activity and eat better you can improve your heart health. It’s exciting to see so many Virginians accepting that challenge,” said Lieutenant Governor Bolling.
As a part of The Lieutenant Governor’s Challenge, Bolling also set a personal goal of losing 20 pounds by the end of the year. Bolling has lost 6 pounds to date.
Earlier this week Robert Lyons, an employee with the Virginia Department of Health in Charlottesville, became the first participant to reach his physical activity goal and will be awarded a Bronze Medal.
“The Lieutenant Governor’s Challenge is a great program. It’s easy to participate in and allows you the flexibility to do a variety of physical activities to reach your initial goals and beyond,” said Mr. Lyons. “I reached the Bronze Medal level and am now working on the Silver. I encourage everyone to improve their heart health and join The Lieutenant Governor’s Challenge.”
Lieutenant Governor Bolling, program partners and volunteers have been actively promoting The Lieutenant Governor’s Challenge across the Commonwealth. Last weekend Bolling spoke to thousands of people at the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk and distributed hundreds of Your Heart is in Your Hands brochures and shoe lace wallets promoting the initiative. This Saturday, volunteers will attend the State Farm Insurance first annual “My 5k Run” in Richmond to help educate Virginians about heart health and encourage people to take The Challenge.
Additionally, the American College of Cardiology has joined a lengthy list of healthcare organization partners already promoting The Challenge.
By choosing to eat a healthy diet, getting regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding smoking you can see heart healthy results in as little as 8 to 10 weeks. Your cardiovascular health risk can drop by as much as 82% by choosing one or more of these healthy habits.
The Lieutenant Governor’s Challenge is a 12-week incentive based program where participants set personal fitness goals and receive points for completing simple 30-minute, everyday physical activities, such as walking, gardening or playing sports. Participants can also earn points for eating certain healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables aimed at lowering cholesterol and caloric intake.
Virginians can log onto www.ltgovernorschallenge.us to accept The Challenge, create their own personalized website to view point values and track their progress.
Please visit www.ltgov.virginia.gov to learn more about The Lieutenant Governor’s Challenge and heart and cardiovascular disease.
As a member of the State Senate, Bolling served as Chairman of the Joint Commission on Health Care and the Senate’s Subcommittee on Health Care. He was also the chief sponsor of the legislation that created the children’s health insurance program in Virginia. As Lieutenant Governor, Bolling has launched several other health care initiatives to promote public education and action to address cervical cancer, asthma, and obesity.
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