National Walk@Lunch Day—April 29, 2009

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Take charge of your health by joining Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies across the country and participating in the 2009 National Walk@Lunch Day.

National Walk@LunchDay helps you incorporate physical activity into your work day and encourages you to increase your daily physical activity by walking at lunch every day. So take the first step toward a healthier you and mark your calendar now for the 2009 National Walk@Lunch Day—Wednesday, April 29.

More information about National Walk@Lunch Day events in your area is available by visiting the Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies Plan finder and locating your local Blue Cross and Blue Shield company.

National Walk@Lunch Day is an extension of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association's WalkingWorks^® program.

In support of National Walk @ Lunch Day on April 29, Dr. Linton Wray, Medical Director for CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, discussed the benefits of a lunchtime walk with News Channel 8 (Washington, D.C.)

Map your route!

Use this map to plot your route and learn the total number of miles and steps you will walk. Here’s how it works:

1. Enter a zip code in the space provided. Use the zoom buttons on the top left corner of the map to locate your starting area.
2. Click on your starting point.
3. Continue clicking on additional points to plot your route.

You can click “Undo Last” if you would like to undo your last point. Click “Clear Results” to hide the Google ads that may be displayed.

Benefits of Walking

Walking is fun and easy. And it’s good for your health.

Did you know that by fitting a brisk walk into your day on a regular basis, you can:

• decrease your risk of a heart attack and type-2 diabetes?
• control your weight?
• improve your muscle tone?
• reduce your stress¹

Take your commitment to better health one step further and participate in WalkingWorks—a Blue Cross and Blue Shield company program that teaches you how to increase your level of daily physical activity by simply tracking how much you walk each day.

Using either a pedometer to count your steps or tracking the time you spend walking, you can measure your progress weekly and track your results online—for free—at www.walkingworks.com.

WalkingWorks lets you choose how to keep track of your accomplishments—by pedometer or time—but studies confirm that the use of a pedometer and a step goal can increase an individual’s amount of physical activity. The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that pedometer users increased their amount of physical activity by nearly 27 percent over baseline and decreased their body mass index by 0.38.²

Walking can work for you—and you can start by simply taking a walk at lunch with us on National Walk@Lunch Day, Wednesday, April 29, 2009.

Below are video highlights from the 2008 National Walk@Lunch Day.

WalkingWorks was developed in cooperation with the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.