Walk Your Way Fit

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Happy Trails

Employees at Principal also have the option of adopting an online hiking trail that electronically charts their progress. The online trek may include an imaginary hike along a well-known trail, such as the Appalachian Trail. As daily steps are logged in, participants can see how close they are to the final goal. They also receive an e-mail newsletter with health tips.

“Our 10-K-a-Day program accommodates all fitness levels,” says Polly Heinen, wellness center assistant manager for Principal. “People tell me that after tracking the number of steps they take each day, they suddenly realize they aren’t as active as they thought they were.” Participants have been known to do just about anything to fit in the last few steps for the day, even marching in place while brushing their teeth.

At Principal, business units participate in weekly walks, with turnouts of 50–60 people. At the completion of the program, employees receive a reward certificate and a 10K T-shirt and then can go on to the Million Step challenge, which encourages them to tally up enough mileage in five months to equal a walk around the perimeter of the United States. More than 1,400 employees have taken on the challenge. And that could be good for the bottom line. For every $1 spent on wellness and health in the workplace, employers save up to $16, according to research from Brigham Young University.

Ramp Up Your Walking
Walking briskly for 30 minutes every day also can add years to your life, reduce your blood pressure, and help you lose weight, research shows. Men who walked off 2,000 calories a week lived up to two years longer than those who only burned 500 calories a week while walking, according to a Mayo Clinic study.

It’s good to aim for a goal of taking 10,000 steps a day, which is the equivalent of walking about 5 miles. Most people average 6,000 steps per day, so adding about 30 minutes of walking puts them at the 10,000 steps a day goal, says Dixie Thompson, Ph.D., director of the Center for Physical Activity and Health at the University of Tennessee. “We found in research that people at this level—or above—lose weight, lower their blood pressure, improve glucose control, and drop to the recommended range for body composition, all of which affect heart disease,” she says.

You can boost your health benefit from walking by building some practical body-challenge strategies into your routine.

• Create a challenge. If you have a favorite 2-mile loop, try to walk it faster, or pick up your pace for part of the distance, Thompson says. Try to cover more distance in your 30- to 45-minute walk or aim to increase your number of steps.
• Find a walking partner—a friend or family member—to help keep you motivated and on track.
• Walk in a new location. A short drive might take you into a state park or a different neighborhood or hiking trail with varied elevation and new scenery to enjoy.
• Incorporate walking into your regular outings. One Principal employee used to sit to watch her son during soccer practice, but now she walks around the soccer field.
• Walk with a purpose. Walk to the store, bank, or post office. Take your dog for a walk, since he needs exercise, too. Sign up to walk for a fund-raiser—such as the American Heart Association Heart Walk—and raise money for a good cause.

However you choose to revitalize your walking routine, you’ll enjoy the health benefits for many years.

For Fun:
Can you walk from L.A. to New York? Check the distance between any two points in the United States: Log on to Ask.com. Then start walking!