30-minute QPS health walk on September 14

THE Green TT Walking Club (GTTWC) will host a health walk around the Queen's Park Savannah on September 14.

It begins at 3 pm, starting opposite the Ministry of Health at Queen’s Park East, with small groups going for the 30-minute walk (with a short pause every ten minutes) every hour on the hour till 5 pm.

Registration begins at 2.45 pm.

Dr Everold Hosein, co-director of the GTTWC, said the first 100 walkers will get free doubles. They will each receive a coupon for Navin’s Doubles stand in the Savannah Food Court, opposite the Ministry of Health.

“Bring your friends, make new friends, begin to improve your health, and become a GTTWC ambassador,” he added in a news release on September 9.

Hosein claimed the biggest killer in Trinidad and Tobago is the lack of exercise.

“But I need to put this into context,” he said. “The lack of exercise leads to three major non-communicable diseases: cardiovascular illness, diabetes and hypertension. These are the three big killers in Trinidad and Tobago. And these are preventable.

“We can make a dramatic improvement in people’s health and save lives if we can get people to exercise more. And one simple exercise to do 30 minutes of walking per day, five days per week.

“And it doesn’t have to be one stretch of 30 minutes, it could be three ten-minute walks, or two 15-minute walks,”

Last November, Hosein competed in his 38th New York City Marathon. He had a heart attack in November 2016, but continued running marathons.

Hosein also serves as a senior consultant to the World Health Organization on public health communication related to non-communicable diseases.

He said the health walk will give people a taste of what it is to do three ten-minute walks, total of 30 minutes.

“Hopefully, some will continue this walking routine. And if we can get a few people to become GTTWC ambassadors and be an escort of small groups of walkers in their communities doing a 30-minute group walk five days per week, the 5x30 Walk, we will be saving lives,” he said.

He said the 5x30 walk not only prevents these killer diseases but is also great for one’s mental health.

“The data on this is just absolutely fantastic.”

Saturday's health walk will also feature a dance fitness burn-out with the DFT Dance Group and Ackeem Mohammed.

Hosein asked participants to wear something green and maybe bring an umbrella, a cap and water.