If walking isn’t a major part of your health promotion effort, it should be.  

There’s no wellness investment that pays a higher dividend than a robust walking program. Here are just a few of the health-related findings specifically associated with walking — as highlighted in Health Enhancement Systems report Walking: The Health and Economic Impact:

• Protects against heart attack and stroke. An 8-year study of 84,000 female nurses ages 40-65 found women who walked 3 or more hours a week had a 40% lower risk of heart attack and stroke than women who didn’t walk. Brisker walking produced greater benefits.
• Helps prevent weight gain. A study of inactive, overweight men and women ages 40-65 showed 30 minutes a day of walking helped them lose weight, decrease their waist size, and increase their lean body mass — even with no special dietary changes.
• Reduces risk of diabetes. A study of about 2900 adults with diabetes indicated those who walked at least 2 hours a week had a 39% lower risk of death from any cause than adults who didn’t walk at all. People who walked more — at least 3 hours a week — had a 54% lower risk of death from any cause. Another study found walking 30 minutes a day nearly twice as effective as the prescription drug metformin in preventing diabetes.
• Lowers overall mortality. Men ages 61-81 who walked more than 1 mile a day had 1/3 fewer deaths in a 12-year follow-up compared with men who didn’t. The beneficial effects were evident even after taking into account other activities and risk factors. Another study of male Harvard graduates revealed those who burned 2000 or more calories a week by walking lived 1-2 years longer than men who burned under 500 calories a week through exercise.
• Decreases heart disease risk. Compared with women who engaged in no physical activity, women who walked as little as 1 hour a week — even at a gentle pace — had only about half the risk of coronary artery disease, according to a study of 39,372 health professionals 45 and older. Women doing more vigorous exercise had an even lower risk.
• Enhances fitness with little time or effort. According to a Loughbrough University study, women who took 3 10-minute brisk walks, 5 days a week, had nearly the same increases in fitness levels as women who walked continuously for 30 minutes. In fact, those who walked in briefer sessions lost more weight and inches around the waist than the 30-minute walkers.
• Maintains a healthy BMI. A University of Tennessee study found women who accumulated 10,000 steps or more each day had a more favorable body mass index.

For a free copy of Walking: The Health and Economic Impact, go to www.hesonline.com/wwp.