Mayor's Fitness Council Resolution Walk gets Austin moving for 2010

Mayor's Fitness Council Resolution Walk gets Austin moving for 2010

By Community Impact Newspaper Staff Saturday, 09 January 2010

AUSTIN — Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell and members of the Mayor’s Fitness Council joined a number of Austinites Jan. 8 for a 2-mile walk around Lady Bird Lake.

The event, now in its fifth year, was created to help draw attention to the Mayor’s Fitness Council’s overall goal of making Austin the fittest city in the country by 2010. But, for the move into the next decade, Leffingwell and the MFC elected to do something different and focus solely on walking as opposed to running or a combination of the two.

“When someone resolves to start exercising, one of the most common mistakes made is to try to get moving too quickly. Injuries and frustration can often be the result,” said Lou Earle, Vice Chair, Mayor’s Fitness Council and Publisher/CEO of Austin Fit magazine. “The good news is that physical activity does not have to be really hard to provide health benefits. Consider that regular walking—a brisk walk, 30 minutes a day, at least three times a week—has been associated with improved mental health, including reduced anxiety, tension and depression and improved self-esteem.”

The fitness council was created in 2004 and since then has continued promoting programs to help inspire Austin residents to become more active and lead healthier lives