National Walk to Walk Day takes place every year on the first Friday in April. The first National Walk to Work Day was declared as being April 4, 2004 by Tommy G. Thompson, the US secretary of health and human services. With sedentary lifestyles on the rise and causing an increase in the rate of obesity, National Walk to Work Day was initiated in the hope of drawing attention to the fact that we all need to get or stay in shape by getting out and exercising.
On National Walk to Work Day, Americans are encouraged to forgo their motor vehicle and walk to work instead. If that is not possible for any reason – such as the commute being far too long to make walking a realistic prospect – then going for a walk in your lunch hour or at some other time of the day is also acceptable.
The hope of health officials is that this will result in people regularly adding a 30-minute walk to their day-to-day schedule. Medical organizations, medical agencies and health officials all over the United States say that taking just one 30-minute walk per day can improve health quite significantly by lowering the individual’s weight and reducing the risk of diabetes and heart disease, among other illnesses. The result is that going for a walk each day results in both a healthier and longer life.
Walking also has emotional and mental benefits, being relaxing and peaceful and also quite captivating if the walk is taken by a river or in a park.
Jon Huser
