Officials during the signing ceremony of Aspire Zone Foundation’s health drive yesterday.
DOHA: Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) has partnered with Villaggio and Landmark to launch its brand-new “Walk More…Walk in Malls” initiative, it was announced in a signing ceremony yesterday.
The initiative will be officially inaugurated on Saturday at Villaggio and on June 29 at Landmark.
Both launches will take place between 8am and 10am.
The drive is part of the community-inspired programme, “step into health” and aims to encourage residents to walk along the corridors of the malls before the stores open every day.
Dr Mohammed Ghaith Al Kuwari, Director of Healthy Lifestyle Programme at Aspetar, said: “We hope this innovative initiative will inspire thousands of people to continue exercising during the hot summer months. The initiative demonstrates Aspire Zone Foundation’s commitment to helping members of the community to lead active, healthy lifestyles, while adapting to the environment.”
“Since the inauguration of step into health, we have been working towards creating innovative solutions to help deal with the summer, especially during the month of Ramadan which falls in this period. Walking is a great form of exercise as it helps with weight management, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke. In addition, it is easily accessible to everyone and can be undertaken by all members of the community,” he added.
Abdullah Saeed Al Mohannadi, a researcher at Aspetar, said: “This initiative is based on creating walking trails that enable individuals to count steps. This information is clearly marked on maps at each mall. The maps can also be downloaded directly from the step into health website. In addition, comprehensive flyers will be available that include walking times for each mall, as well as health tips.”
Waleed Khoury, Managing Director of Landmark, said: “At Landmark we believe that with this partnership we are reshaping the perception of malls from just a place to meet material needs to a key player in the community that influences people’s lifestyles and encourages them to take positive steps towards a healthier future for them and their children.”
Commenting on the initiative, Carole Sabbagha, Marketing Director of Villaggio, said: “We are delighted to be a part of this initiative. The step into health success has seen over the past few months, combined with Villaggio’s ability to draw thousands of visitors and tourists, enables us to join forces to spread the benefits of “Walk More…Walk in Malls”. And this is the least we can do to contribute to a more active Qatari society.”
The official launches at Villaggio and Landmark will feature special walking trails for members of the community. Each track will be equipped with signs and maps, and members of the AZF team will be on hand to help. Participants will receive stamps at stations to prove that they have completed the circuits.
In addition, there will be a raffle on offer featuring prizes donated by Commercialbank and Ooredoo, key sponsors of step into health. Moreover, 100 pedometers will be given away to the first group of participants.
The “step into health team” is ensuring that the malls will be equipped with signs, maps and walking routes that feature distances and the number of steps per circuit, enabling participants to track their progress levels.
The Peninsula
