Whether or not it’s casual Friday at your office tomorrow, put on your comfortable shoes and hit the bricks. Walk to Work Day is recognized the first Friday of April, an initiative started by Prevention in 2004 to get people moving. They advise a 15 minute walk both ways, 30 minutes round-trip. If you commute, then walk to the next furthest bus or subway stop. If you’re not able to walk to work, grab a group of co-workers and walk somewhere healthy for lunch.

Walking at least 30 minutes a day can greatly reduce your risk of obesity-related diseases like cancer, stroke and diabetes. A “very brisk” walk, about four mph, for 30 minutes will burn about 150 calories.

Filling the Featured Guest Blogger of the Month for March is Julie Miller Jones, Ph.D., L.N., CNS, a professor emeritus of The College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota. She also serves as the national nutrition advisor for the California Raisin Marketing Board.

On the heels of national Heart Health Month, there’s good news for older Americans. A new University of Connecticut study, published in the journal Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental, finds eating raisins and walking may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease for both women and men in the 50 to 70 year-old age range. Raisins are not only fat and cholesterol-free, they also contribute heart-healthy components, such as fiber, potassium, and antioxidants.