National Start! Walking Day

The first Wednesday of April each year, the American Heart Association sponsors a national workplace wellness initiative called Start! Walking Day. Aimed primarily at working adults, National Start Walking Day seeks to promote heart healthy activity that can be incorporated into a workplace environment.

Studies show that regular exercise, including walking, can help reduce the risk of certain cancers and life-threatening diseases, as well as help maintain healthy blood pressure, mental well being and body weight. Many adults do not get enough daily exercise, often due to sedentary working lifestyles, making them more vulnerable to these ailments. According to research by the American Heart Association, walking has the lowest drop-out rate of any physical activity and is the simplest change that can be made to a daily exercise routine to improve health.

This year, on April 7^th, companies are asked to get on board to raise awareness among employees and encourage healthy activity in the workplace.

Suggestions for participation include:

- Having all employees wear sneakers to work

- Hosting a community or group walk and brief seminar about the cause

- Taking short walking breaks during the day, adding up to a total of 30 minutes

- Holding meetings while walking on company grounds

- Hanging posters and distributing literature about the day

In cases where companies have not signed up, employees can participate independently. Individual walkers are encouraged to speak to their managers to let them know about the cause and to approve any schedule or dress code modifications that the day may require.

To get started, companies and independent walkers should request a free downloadable tool kit online at the American Heart Association's website. Official Start! gear is also available through the website and is a great way to show unity and support for the cause.

To keep the initiative going after the actual date, there are also Start! Heart Walks around the country throughout the year. www.startthewalk.org has further detail on these events.