SPOTTED: National Walking Day at Albany Medical Center, April 5, 2017

ALBANY — Albany Medical Center employees joined Mayor Kathy Sheehan for a 15-minute walk to participate in National Walking Day, Wednesday, April 5.

Studies have suggested that moderate physical activity has many proven benefits for overall health, such as lowering blood pressure, increasing HDL, or “good,” cholesterol and controlling weight. All these changes help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, the nation’s No. 1 and No. 5 killers.

“Walking is a great way to exercise and build healthy communities, and there’s no better place to walk than in Albany’s many neighborhoods and parks,” said Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan. “Thank you to the American Heart Association for their dedication to reducing heart disease and their efforts to build a healthy and vibrant Capital Region.”

The American Heart Association and Albany Med kick off the month-long campaign on National Walking Day, April 5, to encourage people to move more by increasing their physical activity. The campaign is broken down into weekly themes.

Week One focuses on walking and the basic tools you need to get started. Walking is one of the safest, least expensive, and most sustainable forms of exercise. Weeks two and three focus on recreational sports and outdoor activities the whole family can do together, and week four focuses on mindful movement and reducing stress by doing activities such as yoga, Pilates and tai chi.

“Albany Medical Center is proud of our ‘Team Albany Med’ walkers who are taking steps today toward a healthier lifestyle as part of the American’s Heart Association’s National Walking Day,” said Richard J. Blinkhorn, Jr., M.D., chair of the Department of Medicine, the Richard T. Beebe Professor of Medicine at Albany Medical College and chief of service for Medicine at Albany Medical Center Hospital. “I wish to extend my sincere thanks to Albany Med’s Wellness Committee for organizing this wonderful event that will hopefully herald spring’s long-awaited arrival and to Dr. Suzie Mookherjee and Dr. Mandeep Sidhu for leading our walking team through the new, revitalized Park South neighborhood.”

The American Heart Association recommends adults participate in at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic activity or a combination of both each week. Kids should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

Below is a gallery of images captured at Albany Medical Center on National Walking Day.