A Daily Dose of Walking: It's Good Medicine

This is a new feature section, written by Mitzi Ekers, to help you improve your vascular health through exercise.

1. Walk as if your life depended on it. Because it does! Walking increases your good (HDL) cholesterol, decreases the chance of blood clots, drives calcium into your bones and is a great stress and depression reliever.
   
   
2. Reward yourself…for making positive behavior changes in your activity status. Set a goal of walking at least five days a week. The distance or time doesn't matter at first. You are just trying to establish a healthy habit, not win a marathon. Then reward yourself each week that you achieve this goal.
   
   
3. Walk because you still can! So many people with PAD can't. If you can only go 20 steps, do it. Then rest. Then walk again. Start now.

Author, Mitzi Ekers, MS, ARNP, is a nurse practitioner who has been working with vascular patients for more than 30 years. She is Director of Vascular Services at the Heart and Vascular Institute of Florida in St. Petersburg. She helped start both the Society for Vascular Nursing and the Society of Vascular Technology.