Yesterday, former U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, M.D., offered her insights on the health benefits of walking at a Capitol Hill briefing about Step It Up!: The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities. It was hosted by the American College of Sports Medicine.
Dr. Benjamin noted that chronic diseases, such as diabetes and stroke, have taken a toll on American families. Yet, these diseases could be prevented by increasing our physical activity.
“We have to make prevention a part of our everyday lives,” she said. “Exercise is medicine. We need to get Americans moving. Walking is one of the easiest ways.”
She said walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, can help prevent chronic disease.
The Step It Up initiative “recognizes the importance of physical activity for people of all ages and abilities. It calls on Americans to be more physically active through walking and calls on the nation to better support walking and walkability.”
If you are an older adult, there’s a fantastic resource called Go4Life from the National Institute on Aging to help you “step it up.” It offers a website and daily Twitter tips.
