Springfield city employees participated in National Walking Day. The event began with a rally where an official announcement for 'National Walking Day' was made by Mayor Pro-Tem Jerry Compton. The event was finished with a brief walk near government plaza.

Americans are being invited by the American Heart Association to take a brisk walk. According to Stephen Hall from the American Heart Association, "What we know is that for every hour of regular vigorous exercise, you can gain two hours to your life expectancy. That's a huge rate of return. Walking has the lowest dropout rate. It's free. It's accessible to people".

According to experts, a walk for only 30 minutes a day can help improve overall health. This could help lower the risk of heart attack or stroke. The American Heart Association wants people to start the month with such kind of activity. As per Jennifer Diaz, who walks along Shoreline Boulevard many times a week, this is a very peaceful activity. She added that it feels so good to go out at such places for a walk and it's far better than going to a gym.

As per Dr. Richard Howard of Sanford Health, many obese people live in North Dakota and about a third of obese people live here, so walking and exercising help maintain good health and also assist in weight loss.

Also, Annual Heart Walk will be hosted by the Bismarck American Heart Association on Saturday, May 16th at Cottonwood Park. As per health experts at Sanford Health, simple efforts like taking the stairs in place of the elevator could help maintain health.