At the weekend, lagosians actively came out en mass to take part in the kick-off of the fourth edition of Power Oil’s annual health awareness walk tagged “Power Oil WalkHeartOn” which started and terminated at the National Stadium, Surulere
The annual heart health awareness walk is strategically designed to promote a healthy lifestyle and remind Nigerians on the benefits of a daily fitness routine. It is aimed at encouraging Nigerians to walk at least 30 mins every day to keep fit and stay healthy.
According to the statement given during program by Miss. Prerna Pathre, Brand Manager, Power Oil, “it is delightful to see the impressive level of turn out for the health walk. As early as 6:35 am, lots of participants had arrived the venue to receive their kit (shirt, glucose, water, wrist band, face towel etc) in preparation to join the procession. This is a clear indication that the gospel of healthy living which the brand has been preaching is hitting the right spot in the minds of Nigerians, as it is beginning to sink into their subconsciousness not only to eat healthy to stay alive but also to keep active for a healthy heart.
Confirming from our registration data base both online and offline, 1235 participants were recorded, however, considering the current situation, the head counts clearly surpassed that figure. Right now, we are gearing up for Ibadan walk next Saturday at Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Liberty/ Ring road Ibadan and Port Harcourt (Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Elekahia for upper Saturday” Prerna said.
The Lagos 5km WalkHeartOn started from the National Stadium towards Shitta Roundabout into Adeniran Ogunsanya Street to link up with Bode Thomas, then through the U-turn under Iponri bridge towards Alaka and finally back to the stadium.
The Nigerian Heart Foundation was also present ably represented by Dr. Kingsley Akinroye, Executive Director, to lend their full support to the activity by giving some health talk to corroborate the benefits of walking for the heart.
He said a minimum of 30 minutes daily walk is powerful enough to help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, maintain a good body weight and it ultimately enhances 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.
Lagosians clearly had a lot of fun with the brand before, during and after the walk. The programme began with aerobics session to stretch the muscles out in preparation for the main show, the 5km walk was spiced with danceable music and an exhilarating performance by the popular musical artiste Slim case after the procession. Also, bottled water and freshly made finger foods were served to all participants.
The Power Oil WalkHeartOn 4.0 themed; “Listen to Your Heart” scheduled to hold across 5 major cities; will continue next Saturday in Ibadan, upper Saturday in Port Harcourt while Enugu & Benin will follow respectively in the following Saturdays.
Power Oil health camp was also available to all offering free basic medical checks for participants to ascertain their health statuses, including blood pressure, BMI and general medical consultation. It was also confirmed that the camps will be present at upcoming locations for the walk.
It will be recalled that the Power Oil Walkhearton Health awareness project started in 2015 in Lagos to promote fitness and healthy living amongst Nigerians, then it expanded to 2 cities (Lagos & Abuja) in the following year. However, from 2016 it further expanded to cover 5 cities across the nation (Lagos, Ibadan, Owerri, PHC and Abuja). This is the fourth edition.