American Diabetes Association. American Lung Association. AstraZeneca. Virginia YMCA PSA’s throughout the year promoting Diabetes awareness and prevention. …
STATEMENT OF LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR BOLLING
The Lieutenant Governors Challenge: Your Heart is in Your Hands
Good morning and thank you all very much for coming
We are here today to announce a new statewide health initiative called The
Lieutenant Governors Challenge: Your Heart Is in Your Hands
I am pleased today to be joined by representatives of various
organizations, who will be partnering with us in this effort, including
the:
American Heart Association
American Diabetes Association
American Lung Association
AstraZeneca
Virginia YMCA
Bon Secours Health System
School Nutritionists Association
Alliance For Healthier Virginians
VCU Medical Center
I have a brief statement to make and we will then hear from Mr Jim Morris,
who has a wonderful story to tell about his own efforts to eat healthier,
exercise more and loose weight so he can live better and longer After
that Ill be glad to answer your questions
As you all know, throughout my service in state government one of my major
areas of emphasis has been health care
As a member of the Senate of Virginia I served on the Committee for
Education and Health and I had the privilege of chairing the Senates
Subcommittee on
Health Care, as well as the General Assemblys Joint
Commission on Health Care
In fact, one of my most significant legislative accomplishments was
sponsoring legislation in 1997 and 1998 to create a childrens health
insurance program in Virginia, a program that is providing basic health
care services to thousands of Virginia children who did not have access to
such services just a few short years ago
And during my term as Lieutenant Governor I have continued my emphasis on
health care
For example, I have sponsored numerous legislative proposals to address
important health issues like the cost of health insurance, the availability
of health care professionals in rural parts of Virginia and reform of our
Certificate of Public Need laws
Likewise, I have initiated a number of health initiatives, designed to
focus attention on significant health issues You may remember some of
them:
Our Steptember program was designed to focus attention on the fact that 60
of Virginians are either overweight or obese We encouraged Virginians to
eat healthier, get more exercise and shape up As a part of that program I
set a personal weight loss goal of 30 pounds, and actually lost 28 pounds,
most
of which I have been able to keep off over the past two years
Our Ending Cervical Cancer In Our Lifetime program was designed to help
women make the connection between cervical cancer and HPV virus By
encouraging women to get annual cervical cancer screenings and consider
other treatment options, such as the cervical cancer vaccine, we took a
step toward eliminating cervical cancer in our lifetime
And just last year I partnered with the Virginia Department of Health and
the American Lung Association to sponsor the Helping Virginians Breath
Easier Campaign, which focused attention on the problem of asthma and
sought to help educate Virginians on the prevalence of asthma, as well as
its signs, symptoms and treatment
Today, Im announcing another major health initiative - The Lieutenant
Governors Challenge: Your Heart Is in Your Hands The primary purpose of
this initiative is to further our focus on the fact that 60 of the adults
in Virginia are either overweight or obese, most living sedentary
lifestyles that put them at risk for heart and cardiovascular disease
Heart and cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for men and
women in America One in three people have
cardiovascular disease, and in
Virginia nearly 20,000 people die from heart related illness everyone year
That is more than cancer, HIV/AIDS and accidents combined
As Ive already mentioned, 60 of Virginias adults are overweight or
obese People considered overweight are 32 more likely to have heart
disease That number jumps to 81 for those considered obese
But the good news is that it doesnt have to be that way Healthier
living, increased exercise and a better diet can reduce the risk of heart
related illness by as much as 82
Today, Im going to recommit myself to the effort and encourage thousands
of Virginians to join me in eating healthier, getting more exercise, losing
weight, shaping up and living happier, healthier and longer
The Lieutenant Governors Challenge: Your Heart Is In Your Hands is a
program sponsored by the National Lieutenant Governors Association and
modeled after a Delaware campaign that was designed to reduce the danger of
heart disease through education on risk factors, increased physical fitness
and improved nutrition
The Lieutenant Governors Challenge is an incentive based exercise and
nutrition program where Virginians can set personal physical
activity and
diet goals to promote healthier living and increase their own heart health
The risk of heart and cardiovascular disease can be significantly reduced
through simple, attainable lifestyle changes By setting aside 30 minutes
or more each day for walking, gardening, playing tennis or a host of other
things, Virginians can take significant steps toward losing weight and
lowering their risk of heart disease
The Lieutenant Governors Challenge is a 12 week program where
participating Virginians can receive points for completing simple, everyday
physical activities Walking for 30 minutes is 4 points Raking leaves
for 30 minutes is 4 points and so on
There is also a nutritional challenge where you earn points for eating
healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables which help lower cholesterol
and caloric intake which reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease
At the end of the 12 week Challenge each individual who attains a specified
number of points for the physical challenge, the nutritional challenge or
both will receive a Gold, Silver or Bronze medal, depending on their
results And after they finish the first 12 week Challenge they can set a
new goal and start
again
Today, I invite and encourage every Virginia citizen who is concerned about
their heart health to join us in this effort by visiting our web site at
wwwltgovernorschallengeus The web site provides each person with their
own individual log in page to record their daily activities and points
The website also gives a list of activities and foods with corresponding
point values and ideas and opportunities for how you can become more fit
I will also personally participate in the Challenge I have chosen to seek
the Gold medal, and have set a personal goal of losing an additional 20
pounds as a result of this 12 week Challenge
Over the weeks to come we will be publicizing this program in a number of
ways:
Working with our partners, we will be distributing brochures, postcard and
information across the Commonwealth to help educate Virginians on the
importance of a healthy heart
I will be the special guest and award presenter at the American Heart
Associations Heart Walk in Richmond on October 25th Also this weekend, the
American Lung Association is holding their annual Asthma Walk here in
Richmond
My wife, Jean Ann, will be visiting schools to discuss the importance
of
cardiovascular health and preventing childhood obesity She will also be
visiting with various womens groups to encourage them to participate in
the Challenge, and Jean Ann is also an Ambassador for the Wear Red for
Women campaign in Virginia
Various media outlets in Virginia will be running PSAs to promote the the
Lieutenant Governors Challenge campaign In addition, as the Honorary
State Chair of the American Diabetes Association Step-Out program, I will
be doing PSAs throughout the year promoting Diabetes awareness and
prevention
The fall I will sponsor a Heart Health Summit, which will bring together
elected officials, appropriate federal, state and local agencies and
various private and public sector stakeholders to discuss heart and
cardiovascular health issues
Let me close by once again encouraging every Virginia citizen who is
concerned about their heart health to join us in this effort by visiting
our web site at wwwltgovernorschallengeus
Together, we will begin the process of eating healthier, getting more
exercise, losing weight, shaping up and living happier, healthier and
longer
Source:ltgov.virginia.gov
