Heart Walking in West Palm Beach

Crystal Herrera, wearing the tutu she made in University of Florida colors,
created the Heart Walk team in memory of her husband, Jorge, a proud UF grad. 

When my friend, Crystal Herrera, said she wanted to field another Heart Walk team, I had to be there.

Her husband died nearly 2.5 years ago, cradling their 13-month-old daughter Isabella in his arms. Jorge was just 29. He never met the son Crystal was carrying.

He didn't have a heart condition, nor any risk factors for heart disease. Even so, he died from sudden cardiac death, the largest cause of natural deaths in the U.S. It's not the same as a heart attack, which is more of a plumbing problem, clots clog arteries. In sudden cardiac death, the heart's electrical system malfunctions, making the heart beat so fast that the person loses consciousness. Death usually follows unless treatment is given quickly.

Ready for National Walking Day in Palm Beach County?

A walking family (Photo provided)

What are you doing this Wednesday to improve your fitness level?

The first Wednesday in April is National Walking Day, designated by the American Heart Association to encourage people to walk more.

The Heart Association touts these grim statistics of our inactive lifestyle:

*65 percent of adults are overweight or obese,

*sedentary jobs are increasing while physically active jobs are decreasing and now make up only 25 percent of our jobs,

*and our average work week is lengthening to approximately 47 hours per week.