Walking for health starts with small steps

From drive-through dining to online shopping, people are always looking for ways to cut out an extra step to make things easier and faster. When it comes to developing healthier habits, however, adding extra steps - literally - may help a person get on the path to a healthier lifestyle. In fact, research has shown that 90 percent of people who have kept weight off successfully include regular activity in their lives.

The recently released 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise reducing calorie consumption, focusing on nutrient-dense foods, and increasing physical activity to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity, and reduce the risk of weight-related chronic diseases. Even if you believe in the benefits of walking, like burning calories and toning, it can sometimes be challenging to know how to incorporate this most natural form of exercise into a busy lifestyle.

Weight Watchers International, Inc. is once again launching its popular Weight Watchers Walk-It Challenge this spring - and offers some tips to getting started and staying motivated:

* Make an appointment. Stick to a regular time every day and put "exercise appointments" on your paper or electronic calendar. If you are a beginner, start out with just 10 minute walks. Add five to 10 minutes to your appointment each week with a goal of completing 45-minute walks within six weeks.

* Open a "fitness checking account." For those with busy schedules, challenged to find a slot of 30 minutes to exercise, break it up throughout the day. Spend 10 minutes at lunch walking the parking lot. Power shop for 10 minutes at the grocery store. Add another 10 minutes to the walk to get the mail. Just like money, whether it's one big deposit or three small deposits, all denominations add up.

* Form a walking group. Whether it's with friends or family members, committing to a walking group provides a built-in source of accountability and can make exercise more fun. There are also established walking clubs in most communities.

* Commit to a walk. Weight Watchers has declared May 22 "Weight Watchers Walk-It Day," and encourages walkers to join one of more than 50 official Weight Watchers Walk-It Challenge 5K walking events being hosted across the country by local member clubs of the Road Runners Club of America. Individuals may also explore other walks taking place in their area or map a route for their own 5K. People can visit www.weightwatchers.com/walkit to learn how to participate, find a 5K event and find a walking team in their area.

Another component of this year's Walk-It Challenge is Weight Watchers donation of $100,000 to the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to support the organization's work to reverse the trend of childhood obesity in America and inspire young people to develop healthy habits for life. The Alliance's Healthy Schools Program supports more than 11,000 U.S. schools as they implement positive changes in physical activity, school meals, and health education to create healthier places for students to learn and staff to work.