Walkhearton 3.0, NHF engage Nigerians on healthy living

Lagosians Defy Rain To Participate in Exercises, Aerobics And Health Checks
It was an electrifying weekend last Saturday at the National Stadium, Surulere as Power Oil took Lagos by storm with the third edition of its annual health awareness walk tagged Power Oil WalkHeartOn. Despite the heavy rains that sadly flooded many areas in Lagos, the event witnessed a massive turnout, as people came from all walks of life to join the walk that started and ended at the National Stadium in Surulere.

The annual heart health awareness walk, strategically designed to promote a healthy lifestyle and remind Nigerians on the benefits of a daily fitness routine, is aimed at encouraging Nigerians to walk at least 30 minutes everyday to keep fit and stay healthy.

According to Amisha Chawla, Brand Manager, Power Oil: “We are amazed at the turnout despite the rain, it clearly shows that the gospel of fitness which the brand preaches is fast gaining momentum amongst Nigerians by the day. It really was an energetic walk spiced with fast-paced music to keep the crowd in high spirits throughout the journey.”

“According to our registration data-base, we recorded 2,032 participants in Lagos alone, yet, many more still turned up at the venue. Right now, we are gearing up for Enugu and Port Harcourt today,” she said.

Omotayo Abiodun, the Public Relations Manager, Power Oil, told journalists that it was obvious the participants had a lot of fun while walking alongside comedians, Funnybone and MC Bonus and musician, Sound Sultan.

WalkHeartOn 3.0 themed “Walk for the heart,” which is scheduled to hold across five major cities, will continue today in Enugu and Port Harcourt simultaneously while Abuja and Ibadan will follow in the penultimate Saturday in July.

The Lagos Walk started from National Stadium towards Shitta Roundabout into Adeniran Ogunsanya Street to link up Bode Thomas, before turning under Iponri Bridge towards Alaka and finally back to the stadium.

The Nigerian Heart Foundation (NHF) was also present to lend their full support by giving health talks to corroborate the benefits of walking for the heart. Olatunde Ojo, Programme Manager, Nigerian Heart Foundation, said a minimum of 30 minutes daily walk is powerful enough to help reduce the risk of coronary heart diseases, maintain a good body weight and ultimately enhance mental alertness and general wellbeing. “As simple as it sounds, the benefits of walking to human lives is unquantifiable as many lives have been lost as a result of a sedentary lifestyle,” he said.

Funnybone, MC Bonus and Sound Sultan, who also joined in the walk, took turns in performing before and after the walk. The health camps were also available at the event, offering free basic medical checks for participants to ascertain their health statuses, including blood pressure, BMI and general medical consultation. The organisers also promised that the camps would be present at upcoming locations as well.