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National Start! Walking Day

Flashmail

Wednesday, April 16, 2008 is National Start! Walking Day. This program is sponsored by the American Heart Association to support the fight against the No. 1 killer in the U.S. – heart disease.

National Start! Walking Day is a call–to–action for Americans to start getting healthy by incorporating at least 30 minutes of walking into their day. Physical inactivity is a major risk factor for heart disease and is a comparable risk to other modifiable risk factors such as high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and smoking.

Walking has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity, and is the simplest positive change individuals can make to effectively improve their heart health. Research has shown that the benefits of walking and moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes on most, or every day of the week, can help you:

•Reduce the risk of coronary heart disease
•Improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels
•Improve blood lipid profile
•Maintain body weight and lower the risk of obesity
•Enhance mental well–being
•Reduce the risk of osteoporosis
•Reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer
•Reduce the risk of non–insulin dependent (type 2) diabetes

On this special day:

•Show your support and wear your sneakers to work
•Take a 30 minute walk during the day
•Make your pledge to live a longer, healthier life
•Get involved in the goal to reach a million miles and dollars by the end of the day

To learn more please visit www.heart.org/start. Grab a coworker and start walking today!!