HOPEWELL, Va. — The Hopewell community is coming together to promote a healthier lifestyle.
It's all in an effort to raise awareness about cardiovascular health and provide valuable heart-healthy resources.
Heart Health Day at the Hopewell Farmers Market kicks off Thursday evening and will feature more than 20 vendors, as well as local healthcare partners, including Morris Cardiology and the Risk Reduction Center, VCU Health's Pauley Heart Center, and Aetna Better Health of Virginia.
They all have the same goal: to promote healthier lifestyles and showcase the health benefits that come from regularly attending local farmers' markets.
Cardiologist Dr. Cliff Morris says he’s been encouraging his patients to go to the market for quite some time, and it’s making a difference in their overall health.
"Instead of using a whole bunch of medications, which basically kind of cover the problem, we are expanding that by changing the lifestyle," he noted. "And therefore, we're actually seeing the reversal of high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol and obesity, and people are just happier."
The Heart Health Day Farmers Market is also focusing on children and teaching them how to check their blood pressure.
Kids will get to taste-test vegetables because experts say educating our youth is how we improve the overall health of the next generation.
"My son was very young when I started in this industry, and now at seven years old, you know, there really isn't a fruit of vegetable that he doesn't eat," market manager Arielle McCollum explained. "So you know, being able to encourage healthy choices and giving them those options to taste at a young age does give the empowerment to the young people to be able to try things and then be able to make those decisions for themselves."
Thursday evening’s market on Library Street in Hopewell will run from 5 to 8 p.m. and will feature cardio workout sessions, music, local vendors, food trucks, games for children, and more.
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