Mall walkers and dancers take center stage during a Day of Dance For Your Health

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Whether young or old the message is still the same. A healthy lifestyle can save your life. Dancers and walkers of all ages came to the Tippecanoe Mall Saturday to promote living healthy and protecting their hearts. It's all in honor of National Heart Awareness Month.

Franciscan Saint Elizabeth Health's Kathryn Weil Center of Education and more than 70 hospitals around the nation hosted the Day of Dance For Your Health.

"It's really an illustration of how exercise can be fun," Kathryn Weil Center Division Director Jackie Bahler said. "We have all ages participating."

While dancers took the stage, mall walkers were also the stars of the show. Day of Dance participants were encouraged to walk the entire mall loop, which is just under one mile long.

Along the way different stations educated walkers about heart health.

Marie Wien brought her family to walk with her.

"There is a problem in today's world of [not] eating healthy," Wien said. "We want to promote [healthy eating] so we have healthy children. I don't eat fast food. I drink water. Water is important."

Bahler agrees with Wien. Eating healthy does help the heart. But even doing a loop around the mall can decrease your chance of heart disease.

"Walking is something that is not stressful to your body," Bahler said. "Walking every day, a mile a day, is a wonderful way to keep your heart healthy."

If dancing and walking aren't your cup of tea Bahler said once you start exercising it can become contagious.

"We've already had some people walk 10 loops," Bahler said. "They're walking nine to 10 miles in the mall."

Those walkers are now 10 miles closer to a healthier heart.