DHHS Wellness Initiative:

Staying With a Regular Walking Program

It is not surprising that walking has become the most popular exercise today. You don't have to join a gym, take a class or buy expensive equipment. Additional advantages are that:

• Walking is good exercise for all levels of fitness and is less likely to cause injuries than more intense forms of exercise.
• Walking is one of the best ways to maintain a healthy weight.
• Walking is a great stress reliever and energizer.

The key is to walk regularly--30 minutes a day, at least 10 minutes at a time, 5 days a week. Some employees start walking but find it difficult to keep with a walking program. Lack of time is most often given as the main reason for not walking. Others quit when the weather is too hot, too cold or too wet. Some people find walking boring.

What helps us keep walking on a regular basis? Many employees find the following recommendations helped them stay with their walking program.

1) Walk with a co-worker and make a commitment to remind each other to walk. Many DHHS agencies wellness committees have organized walking groups to help employees get started on a regular walking program.

2) If you don't have a walking partner, consider using music or book tapes while you walk. Just be careful--leave one ear open and stay alert to traffic.

3) Plan to walk at a regular time each day. If you wait until you have time, you will never have time.

4) To prevent sore feet, make sure you keep comfortable walking shoes and socks at work.

5) Set a walking goal for yourself and keep track with a log and/or pedometer. If there is not a walking map of your work location, you can go to www.gmap-pedometer.com to create a walking map.

6) Competition is a great motivator. Ask your wellness committee to organize a walking competition or start an informal competition with other walkers.

7) If starting a walking program for the first time, begin slowly and increase your pace and distance gradually. If you get sore and exhausted when you first start, you are not likely to keep walking.

8) Have an alternate plan to walk when weather keeps you inside. Walk the stairs or inside the building. If your agency or facility does not have an indoor exercise facility, ask your wellness committee to work on creating an indoor exercise area.

9) Park at the farthest end of the parking lot. This will help you walk more each day and it will be a lot easier to find a space in the morning.

DHHS Workplaces Receive Exercise Equipment

The DHHS Wellness Initiative, with support from the N.C. State Health Plan, provided an opportunity for agencies and facilities in the department to apply for exercise equipment for their employees. Fourteen DHHS agency wellness committees applied and received either a commercial quality treadmill or stationary bicycle in September.

On-site exercise equipment in the workplace helps employees be more active on a regular basis throughout the year. Shift work, long commutes, family obligations, and the inability to afford a gym membership make it very difficult for many employees to establish routine times for physical activity. Workplace opportunities for physical activity help overcome these barriers.

In a 2005 survey, DHHS employees identified a place to exercise at work as the number-one change in the work environment would make the greatest improvement to their health. The DHHS Wellness Initiative responded to this need and hopes to provide opportunities for additional interested agencies to receive exercise equipment.

Next story

Last Modified: October 3, 2006