February 15 2016, 20.35 PM IST || Pocket News Alert
· Sonam Kapoor flags off the last leg of the 4th edition of Max Bupa Walk for Health event in Delhi; encouragesfamilies to walk regularly with their loved ones
· A first of its kind 33 day walking event in India led by celebrated Indian Olympians, motivates 5 states, 15 cities and hundreds of towns and villages to Walk for Health
New Delhi, February 15, 2016: After successfully encouraging thousands of families in Mumbai, Pune, Surat, Ahmedabad and Jaipur, Max Bupa hosted the final leg of Walk for Health, a first of its 33 day intercity walk in Delhi yesterday. In an attempt to build a healthier India and encourage citizens across the country to discover the multiple benefits of walking, Max Bupa, this year, hosted a 33 day walking event touching 5 states, 15 cities and hundreds of villages and towns. A contingent of professional walkers led by Rio Olympic 2016 Race Walk Qualifiers, namely, Manish Rawat, Khushbir Kaur, Gurmeet Singh and Sandeep Kumar covered the 1600 kilometer distance from Mumbai to Delhi on foot, in order to support the cause. Max Bupa Walk for Health, introduced in 2012, is a unique initiative which has been motivating thousands of families to incorporate more walking into their daily routine,to bring about long term positive sustainable behavioural change into their lives.
To celebrate the successful completion of the 33 day initiative, Max Bupa hosted a mega walk in Delhi that was flagged off by the leadership team of Max Group including Analjit Singh, Founder & Chairman Emeritus, Max Group, Rahul Khosla, President, Max Group, Ashish Mehrotra, Managing Director & CEO, Max Bupa along with Bollywood actor and fitness icon, Sonam Kapoor, who was promoting her film Neerja, also a supporting partner to the Walkathon.
Talking about the success of the fourth edition of Max Bupa Walk for Health initiative, Ashish Mehrotra, Managing Director and CEO, Max Bupa said, “The Max Bupa Walk for Health Survey 2016 has revealed that almost 50% of Indians, across cities, age groups and professions, do not walk regularly. In fact, in an entire day, Indians devote the least amount of time on walking. This is an alarming statistic, since these prolonged periods of inactivity is giving rise to multiple critical and lifestyle ailments like diabetes, cancer and heart attacks in the country. As a committed healthcare partner to millions, we want to create awareness about simple and effective forms of exercise like walking to help people guard against illnesses and build a healthier nation. Buoyed by the success of last three editions, our attempt this year was to inspire whole of India to walk regularly. The unique 33 day format enabled us to successfully drive adoption of walking among 30, 000 families across various cities. We will continue with our endeavor to inspire millions across cities, towns and villages to lead healthier, more successful lives.”
The initiative saw attendance from people from all walks of life including families, BSF jawans, NGOs like Goonj and Stairs Foundation, popular Delhi walking groups like India City Walks, We are New Delhi, Delhi Food Walks and Seek Sherpa,employees, customers and partners of Max Group companies, amongst others. Led by Indian Olympians, thousands of participants walked through city landmarks like India Gate and Rajpath to cover the five kilometer distance. Families with children and senior citizens participated in the two kilometer walk with their favourite Nick toon characters Dora the Explorer and Motu Patlu.
Supporting the endeavor, Fitness icon and ‘Neerja’actor Sonam Kapoor, said,“I think it’s great that health and fitness is top of mind for everyone across age groups, be it the young or old. People now understand the value of maintaining a healthier lifestyle by exercising and eating right. What a lot of people don’t know is that losing weight or getting fitter doesn’t necessarily require a lot of investment and struggle. You can take the first step towards health and wellness with something as simple as walking. Walking regularly for 30 minutes can rejuvenate your body, mind and soul. It helps you battle diseases like cancer, depression obesity and even stress. I am excited to be a part of Max Bupa Walk for Health for the second time since I strongly believe that walking is a great workout for children, men, women and the elderly and we need to create awareness around it.”
The Max Bupa Walk for Health event culminated amidst much fanfare and celebration including live band performances,zumba fitness workout,jam sessions with the Delhi Drum Circle, along with on spot family contests that entertained the participants, prior to the event flag off.Children got a chance to meet their favourite Nick toon characters like Dora the explorer and Motu Patlu. A host of leading brands like Fitness First, Barista, Lotto Shoes, and GoQii among others associated with the initiative this year.
The 33 day intercity walk was flagged off by Akshay Kumar and Nimrat Kaur in Mumbai on January 10 this year. The unique format of the initiative has garnered a lot of attention on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and has touched 34 million people in just 33 days. The walk events held in various cities triggered a much needed conversation on the benefits of walking to improve long term health and wellbeing.
