April 8 is US National Start! Walking Day

No more excuses. The sun is shining, the birds are singing. Springtime is here. Take your sneakers.

Because today is National Start! Walking in the US.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends the following to start your day at work today:

• Begin by inviting co-workers to wear their sneakers to work .
• Encourage employees to get in their 30 minutes of walking that day.
• Change one of your meetings to a walking meeting, and let your colleagues know why.
• Start! Shopping for something green to wear. It shows you support the Start! movement.
• Host a walk and/or rally to show your commitment to living longer, healthier lives.
• Get the word out about your walk by first registering for our free, downloadable National Start! Walking Day Tool Kit. In your confirmation e-mail you’ll have access to posters, flyers, e-mail scripts and more to easily promote National Start! Walking Day in your workplace.
• Join others across the country and be part of the solution to get America walking.

But why walk?

Simply speaking, walking keeps you healthy and makes you live longer. An hour of exercise can supposedly prolong your lifespan by two hours. That’s really good return for your investment!

Looking more into details as to how walking can make us live longer, here’ what, according to AHA can a 30-minute do to you:

• Reduce risk for coronary heart disease (CHD)
• Improve blood lipid profile (cholesterol, triglycerides)
• Lower blood pressure.
• Improve blood sugar levels.
• Keep body weight and lower the risk of obesity
• Reduce the risk of osteoporosis
• Reduce the risk of breast, colon, and other cancers
• Reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes
• Enhance mental well being

In recent years, the American lifestyle has become more sedentary, leading to increase incidence in cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and obesity. Through the Start! Walking campaign, AHA is trying to counteract the sedentary lifestyle and reverse its effects.

The abovementioned recommendations are aimed for working individuals and the organizations they are working for. Start! Walking, however, should be for everybody from all walks of life, from the very young to the very old.

The Start! Walking message is simple: Walk more. Eat well. Live longer. Even if you miss the starting day today, you can start tomorrow. Or anytime you want. The main thing is to start doing it.

It’s not only AHA who’s encouraging us to get moving this April. Check other walking events:

• Susan Komen Walk/Run/Race for the Cure – events staring April till autumn.
• March of Dimes March for Babies