The Communities’ Coalition for Wellness will be sponsoring a “Walk to Work or School” every Wednesday in September.

Walking is an ideal form of commuting to and from work for employees who live within two miles of the worksite. If you live further than two miles we encourage you to park your vehicle somewhere along the way and walk the remaining distance to work.

If Wednesday is not a good day for you then walk another day; just try to walk one day a week. If you do not work or attend school, don’t let that stop you. WALK while running your errands!

Some of the benefits of walking include:

• Improved health and well being
• Reduced stress
• Opportunity to get in shape while commuting
• Reduced fuel consumption and thus, reduced commuting cost
• Improved overall attitude and morale
• While walking to work, it helps you get ready for the day. Coming home, it helps you relieve the frustrations of the day.

The coalition encourages parents to walk their children to school. It provides an opportunity to talk with your children and to teach them safety precautions such as:

• Crossing with the traffic lights and looking both ways before crossing the street
• Watching out for moving vehicles
• Walking against oncoming traffic where there are no sidewalks

Remember to wear walking shoes since most business or dress shoes are not good for walking any distance or on unpaved paths.

Challenge your co-workers, friends and neighbors to participate in the “Walk to Work or School” event. This is another event the Coalition is sponsoring to promote fitness and wellness in the communities served by White Mountain Regional Medical Center.

If you agree to take the challenge, please let us know by sending an email to Linda.Martin@wmrmc.com. At the end of the month plese let us know the number of hours you walked.