Most people understand the benefits of physical fitness for families: increased life expectancy, lower heart risks, weight control, and improved school performance. However, according to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, less than five percent of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day; only one in three adults receive the recommended amount of physical activity each week. Additionally, data from 2009-2010 indicates that over 78 million U.S. adults and about 12.5 million (16.9 percent) children and adolescents are obese. Today, in an effort to encourage family fitness, Live Healthy & Thrive Youth Foundation announced the 4th Annual Unite for Healthy Kids 5K Walk & Run at Georgia Perimeter College in Decatur on Saturday, May 17.
The Atlanta Braves have partnered with the Live Healthy & Thrive Youth Foundation to offer free home-game tickets compliments of the “Reach Out Be Our Guest” Program for the participants who raise the most money in donations for the 5K Walk/Run.
The 5K event will be held Saturday, May 17 at Georgia Perimeter College’s Decatur campus from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Participants will convene at parking lot 3. Participant registration is a tax deductible fee of $25 and includes complimentary beverages, snacks and a souvenir T-shirt. Participants are encouraged to register online at: https://2014uniteforhealthykidswalkrun.eventbrite.com
Live Healthy & Thrive Youth Foundation encourages all walk participants to raise a minimum of $25 in pledges. These funds will support community programs that provide $500 book scholarships to high school students who want to major in education, medicine, health or culinary arts. “We hope this event will draw attention to the rising epidemic of obesity and motivate parents to exercise with their children,” said Lori Manns, founder of Live Healthy & Thrive Youth Foundation.
The theme of the 5K event is “Unite for Healthy Kids, The Next Generation” which is also listed as a cause on Facebook benefiting the organization. For more information about the Live Healthy & Thrive Youth Foundation, please visit www.livehealthyandthriveyouth.org.
