Photo courtesy of American Lung Association

When you’re trying to get back into shape, you’re more likely to reach your fitness goals if you start with simple, specific and attainable goals. There are small steps you can take each day to kick-start your efforts like parking farther from the door when shopping to get more walking in, or taking the stairs at work. If you’ve ever used the stair climber at the gym, you know that even climbing for a few minutes is hard work! Stair climbing actually burns more calories per minute than jogging, and regular stair climbing can reduce the risk of a heart attack. If you’ve been meaning to make good on your New Year’s resolutions to get in better shape, then I have the perfect opportunity for you to jumpstart your workout goals while exercising for a good cause—join the American Lung Association’s Fight for Air Climb!

By signing up for the Fight for Air Climb challenge on April 2, you’ll have the opportunity to show off your stair climbing skills while raising money for lung disease awareness and research. Consider this your official invitation to join Team Active, Active Healthcare’s Fight for Air Climb team, in climbing the 30 floors at the Wells Fargo Capitol Center in downtown Raleigh!

Signing up for the challenge only takes a few minutes and the American Lung Association (ALA) has provided some great resources to help you kick off your fundraising efforts. Email templates provided by the ALA make recruiting and fundraising a breeze, and there are also Facebook and smartphone apps available to help you track your fundraising efforts.

Not only is the Fight for Air Climb a great motivation for getting in shape, it’s a way to raise awareness about the importance of lung health. About 26 million Americans, including 7 million children, have asthma, the third leading cause of hospitalization of children, according to the American Lung Association. Join us on April 2 at 8 a.m. at the Fight for Air Climb and help make a difference in the fight against lung disease.