Give Your Heart 30 Minutes of Love

If you knew the secret to being healthy was doing one thing for 30 minutes a day, would you do it? Would you do something that still left you 23-1/2 hours in your day for every other commitment in your life?  The best thing you can do for your health is to be active. Thirty minutes. Five days a week. That’s all you need to get started.

February is Heart Health month. The best thing you can do for your heart is to get moving and be active. The simplest way to get moving is to walk. Moderate to vigorous walking (or any other physical activity that really gets your heart pumping) for at least 150 minutes per week can reduce your risk of heart disease by up to 40%, and also prevent other conditions like diabetes. It also improves your mental sharpness and positively impacts all aspects of your overall health.

There are simple ways to get moving that you’ve likely heard before like commuting to work by bike or getting off that bus a stop or two earlier to walk more. If you’ve got a dog, briskly walking the dog each day can easily get you to 150 minutes.

Another great way to get walking is to start or join a walking club. The American Heart Association has started a Walking Club campaign that will build a nationwide network of walking clubs that you can join – find existing clubs in your area, start your own, have a community with which to share experiences and tips. Last month we talked about the benefits of having an exercise buddy. These Walking Clubs can be a perfect way to build this social support network. Walking also has one of the highest success rates as an exercise that people stick with over time.

Learn more about the American Heart Association’s Walking Club campaign. Join or sign up to lead a walking club on the Heart Association website.

Whether it’s part of your individual action plan, or you have been thinking about walking – maybe with a friend, spartner, or group of coworkers – here are some other fun walking options available:

• If you want to walk for your individual action plan, look into WebMD online where you can track your steps in the walking planner or take the Big Backyard Challenge where you can hike in King County parks.
• If you work in the downtown corridor, try one of these downtown walking routes