Did you know that there’s one exercise that’s free, has the lowest drop-out rate of any physical activity, and just one hour a day can add two hours to a person’s life? Yes, I am talking about walking and this week, the American Heart Association launched “Start!“, a national campaign for individuals and employers to get people moving.

Supported by sponsors like Astra Zeneca, HealthyChoice and Subway, the Start! Walking Program is a literal wake-up call to Americans to start incorporating a regular exercise program into their daily lives. Walking - the brisk, heart-rate-raising kind - has numerous benefits other than weight-management, including the lowering of bad-cholesterol(LDL)-levels and high-blood-pressure while also reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Start! has something for both individuals and employers and is built around four key elements to help Americans live longer, heart-healthy lives:

1. MyStart! Online, a Web-based fitness and nutrition tracker, is the hub for a walking program that offers constant, measurable, personal improvement.
2. The Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Recognition Program officially recognizes employers that champion the health of their employees and work to create a culture of physical activity in the workplace. The Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Program has several key aspects to help companies embrace a culture of physical activity and wellness.
3. The Start! Walking Program encourages companies to promote walking at work and recognize and reward employees who move from a sedentary to a more active lifestyle. It is a key component for removing a significant barrier to regular exercise for millions of American workers.
4. A reinvigorated Start! Heart Walk, the American Heart Association’s premier fund-raiser, gives people an opportunity to improve their health through walking while helping fund the fight against heart disease and stroke.

Start! for Individuals is where a person can begin by creating an online profile for oneself called My Start! Online. The free online tool helps you enter your activities and what you ate for the day and gives you reports so you can adjust your balance of calories in vs out. You get to learn about the benefits of walking and how to get started on a walking program in the Start! Moving section which also includes a list of calories burned from various comparable activities (did you know that for the same amount of time, you burn more calories walking at 5mph than when using a push mower?!).

Finally, Start! Eating Right describes easy ways to make healthy choices like using at least as many calories as you take in and a guide on buying healthful foods when you shop next.

As a big proponent of making it easier for employees to incorporate fitness into their work schedule, I like the Start! for Employers program which encourages employers to set an example by making health a fitness and priority at the workplace, thereby increasing productivity and, more importantly, reducing the cost of healthcare. Start! Moving for Employers reveals encouraging studies that show the benefits of having a fitness program at work (for every $1 the average company spends on its worksite wellness program, it receives an average net benefit of $3.40 to $7.88!).

Companies can even sign-up for the “Start! Fit-Friendly Companies Program” which awards employers for their commitment to increasing fitness awareness among its employees and making the workplace more amicable to individual efforts. These include things like providing a fitness center at work (and the time to use it!), walking trails around the company and healthful choices in the cafeteria menu.

All in all I think this effort is a step in the right direction although the success of any such program relies on the motivation of both individuals and employers to make a positive change in their lives. With problems like obesity and diabetes becoming increasingly prevalent around the world, we can use all the help we can get to help combat them.

Get Start!ed today.

Technorati Tags: health, fitness, nutrition, american heart association, start! walking program

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Welcome to del.icio.us Friday, your once-a-week health news update. You can also stay updated with the latest in fitness news by subscribing separately to the Fitness Mantra del.icio.us feed.

Undoubtedly, the biggest story of the week is the Federal Trade Commission(FTC)’s $25 million fine against four manufacturers of so-called weight-loss pills. In particular, fines were levied against the marketers of Xenadrine EFX, One A Day Weight Smart, CortiSlim and TrimSpa.

The ads for CortiStress said it could reduce your chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Xenadrine EFX’s “thermogenic technology” was supposed to give your metabolism a lift. And TrimSpa said it contained a plant “used by African bushmen for centuries” that could help you lose weight so you could “become all you ever envied.”

It is definitely a mistake to think that one can achieve permanent weight loss using pills that temporarily boost your metabolism with an influx of chemicals like caffeine or some thermogenic (heat producing) agents. Another interesting article that came out just a few days before this FTC fine is the prescient “Diet Pills: Does Weight Loss Come in a Pill?” (#17 below). Read that article completely to understand how such “diet” pills really work and why nothing can really beat a good diet and exercise plan when it comes to achieving your long-term health and fitness goals.

Top health news for this week:

1. FTC Levies 25M Fine Against Diet Pill Firms The Federal Trade Commission announced it will collect about $25 million from the marketers of popular weight-control pills to settle allegations that they misled consumers.
2. Fitness: Secrets of Celebrity Trainers The important thing is to do the behaviors: be active, eat right and feel good today. The results will follow.
3. Food labelling campaign launched Some of the UK’s biggest food manufacturers are launching a £4m campaign to promote nutritional labels.
4. Which diet is best for you? Research shows that to lose weight — and keep it off — you must pick a plan that suits your personality, food preferences and schedule.
5. Some guidlines to weightloss programs to help separate the true from the false What elements of a weight-loss program should you look for in judging its potential for safe and successful weight loss?
6. Have a healthier heart right now! Imagine a world in which heart attacks are rare, heart disease is detected early and accurately so few people will ever need angioplasty or coronary bypass surgery. This is the world Dr. Arthur Agatston believes we can live in.
7. Starbucks plans to drop trans fats at its U.S. shops Starting today, all donuts, muffins and other treats sold in half of Starbucks Corp.’s standalone U.S. stores will be completely free of trans fats, the company said.
8. Stored Calories May Raise Cancer Risk It’s not the calories you eat — it’s the calories you don’t burn off that increase cancer risk, studies of mice suggest.
9. Magazines Linked to Unhealthy Dieting Teen girls who often read magazine articles about dieting and weight loss appear to be three times as likely to engage in extreme dieting practices, such as vomiting and using laxatives.
10. Abigail Trafford - Here’s to a Really Big Resolution What if we were to make a really big resolution? What if we vowed — as individuals and a society — to change the culture of aging?
11. Beverage makers tout drinks designed to boost metabolism The shoppers looked skeptical. “This is the first drink that can actually help you lose weight,” sales representative
12. Go Slowly Now . . . So You Don’t Slump Later Before you suit up and hit the trail (or the gym or the pool), there are a few questions you’d do well to ask.
13. Motivation Key to Keeping Those ‘Get Fit’ Resolutions Before you make a New Year’s resolution to get in shape, it might be a good idea to assess whether you’re really ready to make that commitment, say experts at the American Council on Exercise (ACE).
14. Break the habit, not a resolution So tomorrow. Definitely tomorrow. That’s when it all changes for us. We’ll hit the gym at 6 a.m., skip breakfast (starvation is always a great way to start that new diet), and eat nothing but lettuce and celery until dinner.
15. Resolved to Be a Loser? You’ll Need More Than Luck If this year is like others, nearly half of those vowing to lose weight will have given up their efforts by Feb. 1.
16. Are You Really Ready To Clean Up Your Act? Why is it so hard for people to change? Is it possible that we’re missing a self-discipline gene?
17. Diet Pills: Does Weight Loss Come in a Pill? Well, primarily these are thermogenic agents. A thermogenic agent is one that produces heat — in everyday parlance, it “speeds up” the metabolism. The kiosk products do indeed produce some thermogenic effect, but at a cost.
18. 2006 diet news focused on food choices, good and bad Order from a menu of vegetables, fish, wine and chocolate, but hold the trans fats and sugary sodas. That might best sum up the diet headlines of 2006.
19. New Job Title for Druggists: Diabetes Coach For the past 10 years, the city of Asheville has given free diabetes medicines and supplies to municipal workers who have the disease if they agree to monthly counseling from specially trained pharmacists.

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Enjoy the weekend - heard it’s going to be a warm one for this time of year!

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