Mayor James J. Fiorentini > Press Release

For Immediate Release: April 4, 2007

 On National Walk to Work Day, Mayor Invites Haverhill Residents to Take a Walk
Mayor Fiorentini to Welcome City Employees Who Walk to Work with Fresh Fruit and Pedometer

Thirty minutes is all it takes. According to health officials, medical agencies and health organizations around the country, a 30-minute walk will significantly improve your health.

In an effort to draw attention to the health benefits of walking, Mayor James J. Fiorentini is encouraging City Hall employees, local businesses and all Haverhill residents who work in Haverhill to walk to work this Friday. He has declared Friday, April 6, National Walk to Work Day in Haverhill. On Friday, the Mayor will walk to work early Friday morning and welcome City employees who walk to work with fresh fruit, juice and coffee, as well as free pedometers, at the front lobby of City Hall. Fiorentini said:

“In our country, the high rate of obesity is exacerbated by our inactive lifestyles. We need to get the word out that just 30 minutes of walking per day will improve our health. Those who can’t walk to work can make other choices such as walking at lunchtime or after work, or talking the stair instead of the elevator or parking at the far end of the parking lot. Walking and exercise in general is an important part of physical and mental wellbeing.

  In addition to healthy refreshments, the Mayor has arranged for an information table where City Hall employees can also learn about the Weight Watchers Program, local gyms and the BlueCross BlueShield Fitness Benefit for all City Employees.

The Mayor will give away free pedometers because he believes they will motivate walkers to log in more steps per day. According to research conducted by Dr. James O. Hill of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado’s Health Science Center, by adding 2,000 more steps a day to your regular activities, you may never gain another pound.

Walking for 30–60 minutes a day helps to greatly reduce health risk, including: heart disease by 30–40% (New England Journal of Medicine), stroke by 25% (American Heart Association) and diabetes by 50% (University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health), as well as some types of cancer.