Walking is the number one activity for older women and is an effective and inexpensive way to produce beneficial changes in their heart health. Indeed, the incidence of heart disease increases dramatically in older women, and decreased estrogen levels after menopause are accompanied by a rise in factors leading to heart disease.

With funding from the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, Dr. Elizabeth Ready and her team from the University of Manitoba examined the potential of a walking program in modifying these risk factors.

Older women who had mildly elevated blood cholesterol were asked to walk at a brisk pace for 60 minutes a day, five days a week, for six months. They were tested for risk factors at the start and at the end of the study.

Results show that the six-month walking program reduced total blood cholesterol by 4.5%, which is equivalent to a reduction of approximately 10% in the risk for heart disease. Decreases were also detected in other risk factors, including triglycerides (a type of blood lipid), LDL (the harmful kind of cholesterol), weight, fat mass and body mass index.

It appears that loss of body fat goes hand in hand with improvements in blood lipids. Walkers who lost weight and fat were more likely to see an increase in HDL, the good kind of cholesterol.

The study demonstrates that an exercise program alone, without any diet change, can decrease the risk for heart disease among older women who have mildly elevated cholesterol. A program longer than six months, combined with dietary changes, would likely be even more effective for enhancing heart health.

Are you willing to give it a try? Here are some tips to get you on the walking path:

• Select comfortable shoes, with good heel and arch support and ample toe room.
• Check your walking technique. You should hit the ground first with your heel, then roll on the ball of your foot all the way to your toes.
• Start slowly. How long would you be willing to walk right now? Five minutes? Ten? Fifteen? Start there and walk that amount every day for a week.
• Add five minutes every week until you can walk at least 30 minutes every day. Health benefits start to really kick in at this level.
• Pace yourself so that you are breathing faster than normal but you are still able to talk.
• Join a group to keep you going. Your local Parks and Recreation Department probably has the perfect group for you. Groups offer the opportunity to socialize and provide structure and incentive to walk regularly.