State Challenges Employees to "March to the Moon" for Better Health
Monday, March 02, 2009 | 08:40am
Governor Bredesen, First Lady Conte and Health Commissioner Cooper Lead Kick-off Event
NASHVILLE- Governor Phil Bredesen joined First Lady Andrea Conte and Health Commissioner Susan Cooper for the “March to the Moon” kick-off walk at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park on Monday. “March to the Moon” is part of a new employee wellness initiative between Get Fit Tennessee and the state’s Employee Wellness Program designed to encourage state employees to move more in the month of March.
Before the walk, the three briefly spoke about the importance of personal responsibility and making a commitment to living a healthier lifestyle.
“Many of the health issues that face Tennesseans today are things that a prescription or a doctor's appointment or health insurance can't fix,” Bredesen said. “What it really takes is people being more active and taking greater responsibility for their own health.”
First Lady Conte, an avid walker, commended Commissioner Cooper for the efforts of her and her staff to improve the health of Tennesseans. Conte and Cooper, both nurses, encouraged state employees to set an example for the state.
“Today’s walk really shows that you don’t have to join a gym or run a marathon to be physically active,” Conte said. “It can be as simple as taking a walk on your lunch break. The important thing is to get regular exercise.”
“State employees ought to be the leaders in moving toward a healthier Tennessee,” Cooper said. “We’ve spent the past several years investing in prevention strategies to address those behaviors that lead to chronic disease, including physical inactivity, nutrition and tobacco use, and this seemed like the perfect time for people to get out, move a little more, and make a commitment to their own health.”
Today’s walk marks the beginning of a statewide employee competition that challenges each department to work together in an effort to walk the equivalent of the distance to the moon, about 240,000 miles.
Any Tennessean can take advantage of GetFitTN's fitness and nutrition tracking tools free of charge. Visit www.GetFitTN.com and click on "Health and Fitness Tracker" to create an account.