Working an exercise plan into your daily routine does not require you to spend “one red cent.” Exercise doesn’t andate that you join a gym or lug around bulky exercise equipment. Exercise can be easily worked into your lifestyle and can help you lose weight and strengthen your heart and lungs.

That’s why Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama promotes WalkingWorks®, a plan to motivate Alabamians to incorporate more walking into their everyday routines. WalkingWorks helps participants set personal walking goals, based on their current levels of fi tness and health, and provides online resources to help get participants started down the road to better health.

While any increase in walking helps promote good health, the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports recommends 30 minutes a day, or 10,000 steps daily, for fi ve or more days a week to produce the best, long-term health benefi ts for most individuals. Visit www.bcbsal. com/walkingworks to access information to help you start walking for better health.

JUST THE FACTS When done briskly and on a regular basis, walking can have many positive impacts on your health, including:

Help control weight. Taking a brisk, one-hour walk burns approximately 400 calories for the average person.

Improves muscle tone. Walking leads to lean, toned muscles and keeps bones and joints in shape, minimizing the effects of osteoporosis and arthritis.

Decreases risk of a heart attack. Walking helps lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) and raises high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (“good” cholesterol). Regular exercise can also help keep your blood pressure in check and reduces your risk of blood clots and irregular heartbeats.

Reduces the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. For individuals with Type 2 diabetes, regular exercise may help decrease the amount of insulin or other medications needed to control their condition.

WALKING WORKS Here’s how much walking you have to do to burn the calories in your favorite foods:

Remember, exercise doesn’t have to be a rigid, time-consuming activity. The challenge is to think creatively about ways you might add “steps” to your day. Here are just a few ideas:

Park several blocks from your destination or park at the rear of the parking lot. Walk the last few blocks instead of riding the bus all the way to work. Get off the elevator below your destination and walk a couple of fl ights of stairs. Park at the opposite end of the mall from where you need to shop. Walk to do shopping or other errands.

Consider adding other walking routines to your day by organizing a lunchtime walking group at work or a before- or after-work group with friends or neighbors. Instead of watching television after dinner, get the whole family outside for a game of tag, “frisbee” or a walk around the block. Try not to get stuck in the “all or nothing” rut – even if you don’t have time for a long walk, you might be able to squeeze in a short one, or at least take the stairs.