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A Half-Hour Walk Can Make a Big Difference, Even If It’s Your Only Activity

Ideally, it would be easy to make sure we all got the exercise our bodies need every day, but in reality it can be difficult, what with competing demands and obligations at work and at home. If you're looking for a way to get started making a positive change for your health, this visual lecture explains why the one small change you can make with the most impact is to walk for a half-hour every day.

Dr. Mike Evans, the lecturer, is founder of the Health Design Lab at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Toronto, and a staff physician at St. Michael's Hospital. His video speaks for itself, but some of the most important highlights are the fact that even if you're overweight or obese, the difference between being obese and getting no exercise and being obese and getting even some activity can be significant when it comes to reducing your risk factors for various illnesses. Plus, even some brief regular activity has been shown to reduce your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension, and has also been shown to alleviate symptoms of depression.