Start! Heart Walk Kick-Off Inspires Action

8/7/2008

Hundreds of Miller School faculty and staff visited the Medical Wellness Center on August 5 to find out more about the Start! Heart Walk, a 5K event benefiting the American Heart Association on October 11 in Tropical Park.

“I’m sure all of you have a friend or a family member affected by heart disease", said Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., a cardiologist and an avid runner who is serving as "executive champion" of the event. "We want to do something about it, and we can."

Dean Goldschmidt, M.D., encourages the Miller School community to participate in the Start! Heart Walk

In fulfillment of its ongoing commitment to support heart and stroke research, the Miller School is sponsoring the Start! Heart Walk as a part of a larger partnership with the American Heart Association. Team captains selected from each Miller School department will recruit their coworkers, friends, and families to participate with the goal of raising $250 per team.

Tuesday’s kick-off program, which was designed to increase awareness about the walk and to encourage enrollment, included a brief nutrition primer from Sheah Rarback, R.D., director of the Mailman Center’s Nutrition Division, who encouraged everyone to eat five fruits and vegetables each day without sacrificing meals that taste good. "Food is about enjoyment and pleasure, not about deprivation", she said.

Diane Loffredo, R.N., nursing magnet program director for UM/Sylvester, explained how she shed 65 pounds through "simple changes" in her diet and exercise regimen, including walking on a treadmill. To illustrate the difference the weight loss has made in her life, Loffredo slipped on her old lab coat, which she could not button before her transformation but is now several sizes too large.

As a partner in the event, the Medical Wellness Center is committed to helping people prepare for the 5K. To conclude the kick-off, a beautifully executed tai chi demonstration was followed by a heart-pumping mini "boot camp" class performed by Wellness Center coaches. The center offers boot camp classes on Friday mornings and will begin offering tai chi classes this fall.  The coaches will also lead walking groups on Wednesday evenings beginning later this month for those interested in training for the event.

After registering for the walk, Josefina Medrano and her colleague Linda Davidson, team captain for the Department of Pediatrics, sipped fruit smoothies donated by Pasha’s cafe. "This is so great for your whole health - mind and body," said Medrano. "Hopefully I’ll get my whole family involved."