Walk Your Way Fit

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By Betsy Noxon

Exercise not only makes your life better, it can make you live longer. For every hour of regular exercise you record, you'll increase your life expectancy by two hours.

For many people, a trip to the water cooler or a quick jaunt up the stairs to the meeting room is exhausting. The lack of physical fitness among Americans is leading to a problem with fiscal fitness. Americans are paying a high price for being out of shape.

The American Heart Association (AHA) estimates the annual medical cost of illnesses directly related to lack of physical activity is a staggering $76.6 billion. The cost of treating hypertension alone in the United States is about $55 billion, an increase of $10 billion since 1997, according to a study published in the American Journal of Hypertension.

And stroke will cost roughly $2.2 trillion over the next 45 years, according to research conducted by Devin L. Brown, M.D., of the Department of Neurology at the University of Michigan Medical School.

“The benefits of exercise in stroke prevention have been demonstrated for vigorous or even light to moderate activity levels, including walking,” says Brown, whose recent study on strokes was published in the journal Neurology. “Exercise reduces the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity, all of which are risk factors for stroke.”

The high cost of heart disease and stroke is causing many companies to encourage their employees to participate in wellness programs. Studies find that reducing just one health risk increases a person’s productivity on the job by 9 percent and reduces absenteeism by 2 percent, both of which affects the corporate bottom line. Keeping staff members moving amounts to an estimated savings of $500 per employee a year in health-care costs—no chump change.

In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, employers who have implemented physical activity programs at work sites have reduced health-care costs up to 55 percent. They also noticed an increase in productivity (up to 52 percent) and a big drop in sick leave. No wonder businesses are scrambling aboard the bandwagon. And the AHA is giving them a boost.

Last year the AHA kicked off a movement to encourage Americans—and their employers—to walk their way to health. A pilot program was launched at Albany International, a producer of custom paper products and doors, in Albany, New York, where 300 employees enrolled. They use pedometers to track their progress as they walk routes that have been plotted in and out of their office buildings. Most people put in about 6–7 miles a day. Although results of the program have not been tabulated, some employees have lost 20 pounds following the fitness plan, says Jeff Foley of the AHA. Phoenix Insurance and Boston Scientific are also implementing walking programs with the help of the AHA’s Start! project.

For details on how to get your company involved, go to www.americanheart.org/start. As a member, you’ll have access to an online fitness tracker, monthly e-mail newsletters, health information, and recipes.

Other companies are taking on the challenge themselves.

The Principal Financial Group in Des Moines—with about 13,000 employees nationwide—encourages its workers to walk whenever they get the chance. Last year the company worked with Health Enhancement Systems to begin a 10,000-Steps-a-Day program to promote active, healthy lifestyles. Employees who enroll in the six-month program—for $20.95—are supplied with a pedometer and access to a Web site where they can log in their daily steps. The pedometer reminds them to build activity into their days. About 2,800 employees have signed up.