MARQUETTE — As people across the nation navigate higher levels of stress and spend more of their day sitting, finding time to move can feel challenging. Less than half of adults and fewer than one in five children in the U.S. get the recommended amount of physical activity needed for heart health, according to the American Heart Association’s 2025 Heart & Stroke Statistical Update. That’s why the Association invites communities nationwide to gather on today for National Walking Day.

“The statistics tell an important story, but they don’t tell the whole story,” said Carlos Cubia, West Michigan American Heart Association board chair and EVP, Chief Community Health Impact & Belonging Officer at Corewell Health. “Many people want to move more and feel better, but they’re juggling a lot. National Walking Day is about meeting people where they are and supporting small steps that can make a real difference.”

National recommendations, supported by the American Heart Association, call for children to get at least an hour of physical activity each day. The latest statistics show that less than 19 percent of children in the U.S. achieve that. And less than half of adults get the recommended 150 minutes or more of weekly physical activity.