If it is true that for every hour of exercise, you gain an extra hour of life, then the community may soon gain an extra 10,000.Residents are invited to walk, run or cycle as part of Let’s Move Day, an event on September 23.The hope is that their individual efforts will clock up a total of 10,000 miles.The event has been arranged by the Bermuda conference of Seventh-day Adventists and the Department of Health.“The idea for this actually came from First Lady Michelle Obama in the United States,” said Seventh-day Adventist member Leonard Gibbons. “She was concerned about the levels of obesity in the United States. She encouraged a number of organisations and churches to do what they can do to support a healthier community. The Adventist church in the North American division came up with Let’s Move Day. The idea is to get people involved in physical activity.”The US division has a goal of two million miles for that day. It is hoped that Bermuda will help by contributing 10,000.“I thought it would be a good idea to get all of Bermuda engaged,” said Dr Gibbons. “We have partnered with a number of organisations in Bermuda including the Bermuda Diabetes Association, The Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre and the Bermuda Department of Health to see what we can do to get Bermuda engaged.”Churches, schools and other organisations are encouraged to take part. Gold, silver and bronze medals are offered to the gyms that contribute the most miles.“We are hoping we will get even more than 10,000 miles,” said Dr Gibbons. “Ten thousand is just our starting goal.”An organised four-mile walk will start at 3pm. Participants can walk from TN Tatem Middle School in Warwick to the Arboretum in Devonshire. There will also be a fun obstacle course set out at the Arboretum for young children to do their bit.Dr Gibbons said he himself walked daily, and hoped others would catch the walking bug also.“I think perhaps one of the reasons that people don’t exercise is that it requires effort on their part,” he said. “We complain about the fact that the weather is hot and have other reasons for not walking, but the value of walking is tremendous. It is said that for every hour we exercise, we live an additional two hours.”He said there was a lot of concern in Bermuda about the high cost of insurance, but exercising more as a community might bring down these costs because the incidence of many diseases would be reduced.“Everything from heart disease to anxiety to depression, to bone density loss can be improved by engaging in regular exercise,” he said. “When you first start exercising sometimes there is some resistance from the body to the new regime, but if you work through that, you can experience some of the benefits that walking affords us.”Walkers looking for more of a challenge can do a six-mile walk with the Walking Club starting at Chaplin Bay in Warwick at 7am on September 23.Registration is $10 at www.health.gov.bm and includes a T-shirt and a medal for participating.Families or individuals can also contribute by walking on their own and then entering their miles into the www.health.gov.bm website under the ‘Let’s Move Day’ link.