Some people think fitness needs to be complicated. (Just ask Liz why she thinks fitness is stupid.) But sometimes, the simplest activities are best. Walking -- perhaps the simplest activity of all -- has long been touted as a good activity for helping you maintain a healthy weight, reduce stress and reduce the risk of conditions such as cardiovascular disease. Research now suggests that a walking program can help reduce pain associated with peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Even if you don't have a condition such as PAD, walking can make a big improvement in your health. You can use it as an occasional break from your more intense workouts or walking can be your exercise of choice.

Are you a walker? What changes has walking made in your fitness and in your life?

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Recently, my son's two favorite activities have been going to the skate park and going to the BMX track. They're both favorite activities in my book as well. They're free, my son is being active and meeting friends, and I get time to walk around the parks or just relax and read a book.

I'm constantly surprised at how few children wear helmets or other safety gear. My son hates his wrist guards, but he doesn't complain otherwise. And, thankfully, none of the non-helmet wearing crowd has poked fun at my son. My son knows that he only has one choice in the matter -- wear the safety gear or don't skateboard/bike. It's just not a risk worth taking.

According to the CDC, about 300,000 sports-related concussions occur each year in the US. There are some basic pieces of safety gear kids should wear when playing sports.

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The lesser known sister of coronary artery disease (CAD), peripheral arterial disease (PAD) involves clogging of the arteries around the body -- often in the legs. The two conditions often go hand in hand, but researchers have recently reported that, of the two, patients with PAD often fare worse.

Researchers based their findings on comparisons of CAD patients who underwent coronary angioplasty and PAD patients who underwent a variety of surgical interventions such as abdominal aortic surgery and lower limb reconstruction. The annual mortality rate for PAD patients was 5.7% -- 2.7% higher that than for CAD patients.

Researchers state that PAD patients are less likely to receive medication for their condition. The undertreatment could be the cause of the higher mortality rate.

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Phylicia Rashad, well-known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the 80's comedy The Cosby Show, knows about heart disease -- she's had eight family members who lost their lives to it. So the actress has agreed to help two major drug manufacturers -- Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi Aventis -- spread the word about a condition called peripheral artery disease. Though the condition is not new, the disease is just now being recognized as an important risk factor for heart disease. As arteries become blocked with plaque, blood flow is reduced to the extremities. Patients with PAD may complain of pain or fatigue in the legs when walking or climbing, and the condition can more than double the risk of heart attack and stroke and can cause blood clots as well.

If you think you may have PAD or at risk for the condition, health experts recommend a yearly screening. Read more about PAD at the American Heart Association's website.

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Trouble walking is not a normal part of aging, and according to doctors at Georgetown University Hospital there is a major push for more patients to get checked for PAD, or peripheral artery disease. PAD is a little-known but surprisingly common disease that causes arteries in the legs to stiffen and narrow, eventually cutting off the blood flow altogether. Ulcers, infection, and even gangrene with the possibility of amputation are the unfortunate end stages of the disease. 12 million Americans deal with PAD every year, and although anybody can get it, diabetics, African Americans, and the elderly (over 70yrs old) are at the highest risk. Other risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, and heart disease.

On the upside, PAD is extremely easy to for your doctor to check for at your appointments -- simply feeling the pulse in your ankle and comparing arm and leg blood pressures is an accurate way of evaluating the possibility of PAD. Treatments, however, are not so simple. Many studies are underway on the most effective treatments for both early-stage and late-stage PAD, varying from special leg exercises to medications to surgery. There is even a success story in the article of a man who had successful implantation of the latest type of artificial artery.

So next time you have an MD appt, or sooner if you feel you're at higher risk, ask about getting checked for PAD. It won't take long!

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