According to the American Heart Association, just one hour of vigorous exercise will increase your life expectancy by two hours. Unfortunately, with work, children and numerous extracurricular activities, it is sometimes hard to find the time to fit exercise into busy schedules. Walking, however, can be an easy thing to fit into your daily routine – it can be done anywhere, it’s inexpensive and it’s a low-impact way to shed calories and get in shape.

Mayor Oscar B. Goodman wants everyone to put walking high on their list of activities and is encouraging everyone to walk as part of national “Walking at Work Day.” Started by the American Heart Association, the program aims to get Americans walking in order to develop a healthier heart. The mayor will be joining employees as they take a walk at City Hall at noon on Wednesday, April 25.

Even if your employer doesn’t participate in the program, that doesn’t mean you can’t. You can bring your sneakers to work, grab some co-workers and walk to lunch or a meeting.

Incorporating walking into your everyday routine is easy to do. Here are a few tips to get you walking:

• Instead of e-mailing or calling a co-worker, walk to his/her office.
• Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Park your car farther from your office and walk the extra distance.
• Develop a walking route and walking club at work. It’s more fun and more motivating if more people are involved.
• Try to walk 30 minutes a day – this can be broken into three 10-minute intervals or two 15-minute intervals to make it easier.
• One of the best things about walking is that there are no special tools or equipment needed – just a pair of good walking shoes.
• Invest in a pedometer. It will help you monitor how many steps you are taking in a given day.
• Participate in one of the walking groups led by the city’s Leisure Services Department.
 

For more information on the Walking to Work program, visit www.americanheart.org/start .