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NEWS RELEASE

Friday, April 11, 2003
For immediate release

Contact:
Christa Dickey
cdickey@acsm.org

SIMPLE STEPS FOR COMBATING AMERICA'S NUMBER ONE KILLER
Experts summarize and promote scientific evidence that regular brisk walking reduces risk of cardiovascular disease

RENO, NV - A fitness routine designed to lessen the risk of America's deadliest set of health problems can begin with as simple an action as taking a walk in the park. Physical activity experts made that case to health and fitness practitioners today at the American College of Sports Medicine's (ACSM) Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition. Walking, among the easiest and lowest impact activities a person can do, was proven to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by as much as 40 percent, even in very moderate and achievable amounts.

One-by-one, physical activity experts Kyle McInnis, Sc.D., FACSM, Barry Franklin, Ph.D., FACSM, and I-Min Lee, M.D., Sc.D., FACSM presented nearly a dozen research studies that have examined the effects of walking on health and mortality. Each study is an individual example of how regular walking can reduce health risk, such as the landmark Women's Health Study, which shows the risk of coronary heart disease cut in half when women who walk two hours or more a week are compared with those who don't walk. Together, the studies offer a resounding body of evidence on the benefits of a regular, brisk walking program.

"There has never been so much scientific evidence, and such clear evidence, that even small amounts of walking can enhance health," McInnis explained. "You don't have to be a world-class athlete, or even be at all active previously, to improve your health if you start walking regularly and stick with it."

Lee, Franklin, and McInnis spoke to an audience of professionals uniquely positioned to influence the physical activity levels of thousands of fitness clients or their sedentary neighbors nationwide. Physical activity guidelines call for a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on all or most days of the week, but many members of the public are confused as to which activities provide the level of exertion necessary. Walking, research shows, can easily provide that opportunity, and studies show the activity can be accumulated in shorter bouts, such as three 10 minute walks, spread throughout the day.

According to the experts, walking is such a simple activity it can be the cornerstone of a fitness routine that can even be incorporated into daily life without much disruption.

"Many people focus too much on packing their gym bag, driving to the gym, jumping on the treadmill for 20 minutes and they think they're done," says Franklin. "In reality, we're awake and moving for 16-17 hours a day. If we can become even a little bit more active during those 16-17 waking hours, we can achieve additional health benefits." Franklin also emphasizes that for most previously sedentary adults, brisk walking programs not only improve health, but aerobic fitness as well.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the U.S. It is responsible for 40 percent of all U.S. deaths. One study presented directly addressed this mortality rate, showing that the mortality rate in men who walk more than two miles a day was half that of even those who walk one to two miles a day. The pace of walking matters, also. Another study shows a similar relationship between the pace of walking and the mortality rate due to cardiovascular disease.

ACSM's Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition in cooperation with the American Council on Exercise is going on now at the Reno Hilton. For more information on the event, or to speak with ACSM Communications and Public Information staff, please call (775) 785-5065.

The American College of Sports Medicine is the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world. More than 20,000 International, National and Regional members are dedicated to promoting and integrating scientific research, education and practical applications of sports medicine and exercise science to maintain and enhance physical performance, fitness, health and quality of life.

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The American College of Sports Medicine gratefully acknowledges the following Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition supporters: Life Fitness (Premier Sponsor), Gatorade and Gatorade Sports Science Institute, Reebok (Educational Partner), Amino Vital (Pre-Conference Official Sponsor), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, EAS (Experimental and Applied Sciences), Thera-Band, and Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins.