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Walk Hopes to Improve Heart Health in Miami

18 views · Published 27 September 2014 · 1:42 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: Dayton 24/7 Now · 2014 · News & Politics

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DAYTON-- Two-thirds of the United States population is overweight or obese, and 40% of Americans don't exercise at all, according to doctors with Kettering Health Network. 

The American Heart Association's Heart Walk event is Saturday, September 27 at Fifth-Third Field in Dayton, Kettering staff hope the startling statistics will help motivate the Miami Valley to come out and walk. 

"In the past few years people are coming to us in more of a dire situation, they seem to be sicker and they seem to be a lot younger," said Tara Powell, x-ray technician in the Cath Lab at Kettering Hospital. 

Since the late 1990's, human inactivity has doubled. 

Kettering Health Network's mission is to improve that number, by sponsoring the Heart Walk. 

"Sometimes we're just not able to help them," Powell said, "And I wish they would have education to know to come sooner so that we have more options for those people."

"What we want to do is not just put a band-aid on the person, here's your band-aid, here's your stint, here's your bypass surgery," said Cardiologist Harvey Hahn, "We want to maybe do that and then give them a change in lifestyle. 

Hahn took a dose of his own medicine after watching his father battle heart disease by changing his diet and exercise regimen. 

"A lot of people look at themselves and say I'm pretty healthy or I'm healthy enough, but they don't realize they have one of the silent killers on board whether high blood pressure high cholesterol," said Hahn. 

Dr. Hahn recommends walking even if it's just five or ten minutes per day. 

"Exercise is the best cheapest therapy for getting better sleep," he says, "Having more energy, working on your weight, diabetes, high blood pressure, and your cholesterol level."

"I think Heart Walk is a great way-- to either you walk it or you run it-- but its a way to start that program to get healthier."

The American Heart Association will use the money raised Saturday to continue important research for the nation's number one killer

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