Happy National Start! Walking Day!

Today is National Start! Walking Day, and if you ask me, that's as good an excuse as you're ever going to find for starting a walking program. Whether you're doing it to lose weight, become a little more fit, or just because it feels good to get moving, you can't deny that walking has tons of benefits. And now, there are some great ways to get started.

The American Heart Association's Start! Walking Program and ExerciseTV have teamed up to offer everyone the instruction they need to get started with the Start! Walking at Home With Leslie Sansone videos, which are available for purchase on DVD and for download on the ExerciseTV website. The videos start from the beginning, with a short intro, and build up to a three-mile walk.

By walking less than a half hour each day, you can improve the health of your heart, which I think we can all agree is fairly important. Not sure walking is for you? Consider these statistics:

• We lose 2400 Americans each year to heart disease, and most Americans don't get enough exercise.
• Walking has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity.
• It's free!
• Walking is natural, low-impact, safe and simple.
• You can continue doing it throughout your lifetime. Walking is the only exercise in which the rate of participation doesn't decline in middle and later years.

The American Heart Association has some great tools to help you get going. You can register for their monthly newsletter via email, use their MyStart! Online Tracker, which will help you track your physical activity and nutrition, and take advantage of their community and connect with others who share your goals.

Sound good? Register here! And then, let us know in the comments -- how will you celebrate National Walking Day?