Walking Toward Your Healthiest Best

Why walking? It’s the simplest positive change you can make to improve your heart health.

There really are so many benefits for such a simple activity!

Research has shown that walking at least 30 minutes a day can help you:

• reduce your risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
• improve your blood pressure, blood sugar levels and blood lipid profile
• maintain your body weight and lower the risk of obesity
• enhance your mental well-being
• reduce your risk of osteoporosis
• reduce your risk of breast and colon cancer
• reduce your risk of non-insulin dependent (type 2) diabetes

The thought of being alone can be enough to keep some people from walking. The best way to solve this is by finding a friend to walk with you.

You can plan walking paths that are convenient for both of you, or map out routes that take you places you’ve never been before. It’s a great way to exercise and spend time with friends! Consider partnering with friends and coworkers.

All you have to do is lace up with a good pair of sneakers — and walk.

It’s that easy. It’s also safe, very inexpensive and has the lowest dropout rate of any type of exercise. Before you know it, brisk walking can become a part of your daily routine.

You’ll reap plenty of benefits (see above) – plus for every hour of brisk walking you put in, your life expectancy may increase by two hours. So get walking!