News Release

April 4, 2007
HMSA go Walk @ Lunch in downtown Honolulu encourages you to get some healthy lunchtime activity

Laura Lott
(808) 952-7566
laura_lott@hmsa.com

Are you too busy to exercise regularly? Between work, children and family commitments, do you have trouble getting enough physical activity? Would you like to be more active, but just can’t find the time? Well, the HMSA go Walk @ Lunch on April 18 is the event for you!

On Wednesday, April 18, at the Hawaii State Capitol, the Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA) will partner with the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) to host the HMSA go Walk @ Lunch. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the grounds around the Capitol will come alive with activity. It is open to the public, and there will be a one-mile fun walk, a health fair with lots of information on good health and fitness, and some extreme fun and games with OC16’s Kutmaster Spaz.

The HMSA go Walk @ Lunch is a community awareness event that will encourage people to go for a walk during lunchtime as a way to get more physical activity. Doing 30 minutes of brisk walking five times a week is good for your muscles, bones and joints. It may also help prevent high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and other serious health conditions.

April 18 is also the first annual National Walk @ Lunch Day, a Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) health initiative. On that day, employers and health care consumers across the nation will participate in lunchtime walks. As an independent licensee of the BCBSA, HMSA will participate in the national initiative with the HMSA go Walk @ Lunch in Honolulu.

The HMSA go Walk @ Lunch is free, and you don’t need to register to participate. If you work in the downtown area, walk over to the Hawaii State Capitol at lunchtime and join the fun. There will be hundreds of walkers, and participants will include state lawmakers, city officials, business leaders, special guests and the public.

"We all have a schedule that revolves around our workday," said Cliff K. Cisco, HMSA senior vice president. "Trying to fit exercise into our lives before or after work can be challenging. But using time within the workday – such as your lunchtime – is an excellent way to get more physical activity. That’s what the HMSA go Walk @ Lunch is all about."

"Obesity is also a serious health concern in Hawaii," said Cisco. "If more people were involved in regular physical activity, and ate a nutritious diet, then childhood and adult obesity could be reduced in the state. Living a healthier life can also help reduce unnecessary medical costs."

Other organizations participating in the HMSA go Walk @ Lunch include the American Heart Association, Meadow Gold Dairies of Hawaii, National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii, Weight Watchers Hawaii, and YMCA of Honolulu.

HMSA is a nonprofit, mutual benefit association founded in Hawaii in 1938. It is governed by a community board of directors that serves without compensation and includes representatives from health care, business, labor, government, education, clergy, and the community at large. HMSA is a member of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans. Nationally, HMSA and 37 other Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans provide worldwide coverage to more than 94 million members.

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