Walking for Wellness

Walk Maryland Day is October 10, 2018. Walk Maryland Day is a day to celebrate the official state exercise - walking! It's also a way to promote awareness about how walking improves our health. October 10th is also Walk to School Day. Help the entire community come together to promote health and safer routes for students to walk and bike to school. These are great events to help people be active and start walking in your neighborhood.  Think about ways to be active every day, not just one special day.

Why focus on walking?  Well - walking is a great way to be active, you can do it anytime, anywhere, and it does not require special skills or equipment. The health benefits of walking may:

• Reduce the risk of diseases like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer.
• Improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
• Increase energy level.
• Decrease stress.
• Help prevent weight gain.

If you are new to walking, or haven’t been active in a while, start off slowly. Try 5 -10 minutes to start. Work up to 30 minutes per day. If you don’t have 30 minutes at once, get creative and break up your activity into shorter sessions. For example start the day by parking or getting off the bus/train 10 minutes away from your job and walk briskly to work.  At lunch, walk for 10 minutes around where you work, inside or out. End the work day by walking briskly for 10 minutes back to your car or station.

Still not convinced you should stop reading this and go for a walk? Check out this list of 100 reasons to go for a walk.

How to Put Some Spring in Your Step This April

Spring is finally here and we can once again welcome warmer weather and longer days. Shake off the cold winter months and celebrate the season of new beginnings by going outside and getting active! Not sure how to begin those first steps on your journey to better health? Consider participating in the American Heart Association’s National Walking Day, an annual spring event that raises awareness about the importance of being physically active. 

National Walking Day 2016 takes place on Wednesday April 6th and participants commit to walk for at least 30 minutes to promote physical activity and well-being in their communities. Why walking? Walking is a great exercise whether you are just beginning a more active lifestyle, or are regularly physically active.  There are many positive reasons to start walking:

• Walking reduces the risk of many diseases.  Walking for just 30 minutes a day can help you reduce your risk of developing heart disease, improve your blood pressure, and enhance your mental well-being. 
  
•  Walking does not require special equipment or advanced athletic skills in order to achieve these amazing health benefits.
•  Walking is a low-cost and easy way to increase your energy, prevent weight gain, and reduce your risk of serious diseases such as diabetes, stroke, and obesity.  

With so many great reasons to take part in National Walking Day, why not encourage others to walk with you? Invite members of your workplace, school, and faith-based organization, as well as friends and family to join in on the fun! The American Heart Association’s website provides a resource guide and toolkit to help you plan for the event whether you are participating as an individual or as part of a group. The toolkit also includes a four week action plan for those who want to extend the fun for the whole month. More information on National Walking Day can be found at www.heart.org/WalkingDay.
  
Need more inspiration? Walking is the state exercise of Maryland! Visit University of Maryland Extension’s Walk MD! website to find helpful online tools such as an interactive map to track your steps and take you on a virtual walking tour around the state of Maryland. Recording your steps can be a great way to track your progress and motivate you to stay active!  For more information on resources found through the Walk MD! program visit www.extension.umd.edu/walkmd. 

So say farewell to those winter blues by lacing up your sneakers and heading outdoors! Sunny days and better health are right around the corner and just a few feet away.