American Heart Association Start! Program Promotes Walking

Start! is an American Heart Association movement calling on all Americans and their employers to live longer, more heart-healthy lives through walking.

Walking is the easiest, most convenient form of activity — and it’s free.

Get at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days because it is important to your health.

A Harvard Alumni Study conducted by Dr. Ralph Paffenbarger and his colleagues and published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1986 found that individuals lived two hours longer for every hour of regular exercise they trained.

Benefits of Walking
Walking for as little as 30 minutes a day provides a number of benefits:

For the body, walking helps

  • Reduce the risk of heart disease by improving blood circulation throughout the body
  • Keep weight under control
  • Improve blood cholesterol levels
  • Prevent and manage high blood pressure
  • Prevent bone loss
  • Boost energy levels
  • Increase muscle strength, increasing the ability to do other physical activities

For the mind, walking helps

  • Manage stress
  • Release tension
  • Improve the ability to fall asleep quickly and sleep well
  • Improve self-image
  • Counter anxiety and depression and increase enthusiasm and optimism

For more information, see AmericanHeart.org/start