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'Take a Step for Diabetes' at WALK 2014

'Take a Step for Diabetes' at WALK 2014

Imperial College London Diabe­tes Centre’s WALK 2014 is back for its eighth edition, encour­aging people to ‘Take a Step for Diabetes’ and promote a healthier lifestyle.

WALK 2014 will take place at its traditional venue of Yas Marina Circuit on November 7 and is expected to see more than 20,000 people turn up for a good cause.

To urge people to come and edu­cate them on the health benefits of walking, a new social media campaign has been launched where those who register can take a selfie with their shoes and tag the picture with ‘#WALK2014’ across all social media platforms while nominating their friends to do the same.

“Taking the health and fitness message directly to the public through the #WALK2014 social media campaign is a very effective way of increasing awareness and pushing people to get involved,” said Bashar Al Ramahi, chief executive officer of Imperial Col­lege London Diabetes Centre.

“It is well known that the UAE has a high prevalence of diabetes and obesity, and that’s partially down to people not getting enough exercise or eating a balanced, healthy diet. Our hope is that WALK 2014 and the ‘Take a Step for Diabetes’ campaign will help bring about change.”

This year, the event will also include a comprehensive health audit, which will measure partici­pants’ body mass index compared to Abu Dhabi residents. The results of the audit will be published shortly afterwards and provide more insight on the fitness levels in the UAE.

“We believe that WALK 2014, alongside our other health and fit­ness sponsorships such as Train­YAS, GoYAS and TriYAS, provide a complete programme for the community to get active,” said Dr Michael Blitzer, CEO of Daman, sponsors of WALK 2014. “Our support to these initiatives comes from our core belief that regular exercise is a crucial part of combat­ing health disorders associated with obesity and leading a seden­tary lifestyle.”

Yas Marina Circuit will host the event as participants will walk the 5.5 kilometre Formula One track in the capital.

“WALK 2014 is an extremely important event in the health and fitness calendar at Yas Marina Cir­cuit,” said Al Tareq Al Ameri, CEO of Yas Marina Circuit.

“We are delighted to be host­ing the eighth edition and work­ing again with Imperial College London Diabetes Centre and our key sponsor partners.” Registra­tion for the event is now open and people of all fitness backgrounds are welcome.

To sign up and for more in­formation, visit www.walk2014. com. Gates will open at 15:00 with WALK starting at 17:00. The entry fee is Dh20 per person and includes a shirt and cap.

What: Imperial College London Diabetes Centre’s WALK 2014
Where: Yas Marina Circuit’s 5.5 kilometre Formula One circuit
When: Friday, November 7
Contact: Visit www.walk2014.com to register and for more informa­tion


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