Get on your feet and celebrate National Walking Day

The first Wednesday in April is designated as National Walking Day. Sponsored since 2007 by the American Heart Association, the day is a reminder of the health benefits of taking a walk.

Tomorrow, the AHA urges, find a way to build a 30-minute walk into your routine.

What’s so great about walking?

For one thing, it doesn’t require any special or expensive equipment, besides a decent pair of shoes. For another, it can be done almost anywhere — from city sidewalks to rugged mountain trails.

It’s suitable for people of all ages, and benefits both physical and emotional health.

Why walk?

Here are some benefits of walking, from the Arthritis Foundation:

Improved circulation — which helps prevent heart disease, increases heart rate, lowers blood pressure and strengthens the heart.

Stronger bones — weight-bearing exercise, like walking, helps prevent the loss of bone mass, a special concern for post-menopausal women at risk for osteoporosis.

Improved mood — walking releases natural pain-­killing endorphins to the body, an emotional benefit of exercise.

Weight loss — a brisk 30-minute walk can burn 200 calories.

Stronger muscles — along with leg and abdominal muscles, arm muscles benefit if you pump them as you walk. Stronger muscles mean increased range of motion.

Limber joints — joint cartilage gets its nutrition from synovial fluid that circulates as we move. Movement brings oxygen and nutrients into the joint area.

Mental muscle — studies show that walking helps stave off age-related memory decline and incidence of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Get a good shoe

It’s important to wear a shoe specifically designed for walking. A walking shoe will give you greater comfort and stability, which helps prevent injury and foot pain.

What to look for? Here are some tips from verywellfit.com:

• The heel should be no more than an inch higher than the sole under the ball of the foot. The heel should not be flared.

• Grip the shoe in your hands and twist it. It should twist latitudinally, and should bend easily at the ball of the foot — not in the middle of the arch.

• Set the shoe on the floor and poke the toe. In a well-designed shoe, the toe should be slightly off the ground and rock a little when poked.

Warm-up exercises

Even if walking doesn’t seem like a particularly strenuous exercise, experts say its best to warm up before you start. SilverSneakers recommends this 3-5 minute routine to warm up the muscles you’ll be using:

• Shoulder rolls — Stand with feet apart, relax your arms, lift shoulders toward your ears, lower them back and around. Do 10 rolls in one direction, then reverse direction for another 10.

• Torso pulls — Stand with feet apart, arms stretched out with palms touching. Bend right elbow and pull right hand back toward right hip, gently rotate torso to the right. Bring hands back together, and repeat on the left side. Do 10 pulls on each side.

• Foot rockers — With feet a few inches apart, gently roll up onto balls of feet and toes, lifting heels off the ground. Gently roll back onto heels, lifting toes off the ground. Repeat 10 rolls.

• Leg swing — Stand with feet together, toes facing forward. Shift weight onto left leg, lift right hip and leg slightly. Gently swing right leg forward and back from the hip. Repeat on the left. Do 10 swings on each side.

Mall Walkers

Excela Health and Westmoreland Mall partner in a monthly Mall Walkers program that meets 8-9:30 a.m. the fourth Thursday of each month (except December) at the food court on the mall’s upper level.

Now in its seventh year, Mall Walkers offers participants a continental breakfast, health screenings, door prizes, a health-related presentation and information tables on personal care and nursing homes and other Excela partner agencies.

It’s a great way to stay active and make friends, organizers say.

The next session is set for April 25.

Details: excelahealth.org