Today is National Walk @ Lunch Day. While I think it’s safe to say this day isn’t as fun to celebrate as National Ice Cream Day, it is important to our overall health and wellbeing. It is also a reminder of the need to take our health serious.

COVID-19 has changed our world in so many ways, especially how we work and how we live. In college, we called it the freshman 15. This year, I have heard a lot of folks call it the COVID 15, give or take a few pounds. Whatever we call it, there are countless stories of the pandemic negatively affecting our diet and exercise routine and increasing other health risks beyond the virus.

It is easy to fall out of good habits and it can be quite difficult to break bad ones. Being physically active and making healthy food choices have so many health benefits. Walking has also been proven to increase energy, boost your immune system and reduce stress. We don’t have to make massive changes all at once to begin to improve our health. National Walk @ Lunch Day is a great opportunity to re-commit to the small, daily improvements we can make to our overall wellbeing.

I am honored to serve as your Insurance Commissioner, and I hope that you will join me for National Walk @ Lunch Day.

The Kansas Insurance Department, established in 1871, assists and educates consumers, regulates and reviews companies, and licenses agents selling insurance products in the state. More about the department is online at insurance.kansas.gov or at www.facebook.com/KSinsurancedept/