The media march all over the rest of us for National Walk to Work Day

They say the media can be a fickle thing but when it comes to getting behind health and environment initiatives, it seems they're the ones on the right track.

New data reveals that more media organisations participate in National Walk to Work Day than any other sector, with the media having the highest number of organisations registered as Corporate Ambassadors for Walk to Work Day compared to any other industry.

The finance sector comes in as the second highest participating industry, followed by retail and property tying third.

Chairman of the Pedestrian Council of Australia and organiser of National Walk to Work Day, Mr Harold Scruby said:

"It's fantastic to see some of the nation's biggest organisations have shown their support for National Walk to Work Day! We've got great support again this year with organisations like CommBank, Canon, Westfield and the Australian Bureau of Statistics also pledging to pound the pavement on Friday 2 October.

"Becoming a Corporate Ambassador for National Walk to Work Day is the perfect opportunity for businesses to put their best foot forward and step up their commitment to improving the nation's health.

"We challenge all walks of industry and business to join some of the biggest companies in Australia and register for National Walk to Work Day at www.walk.com.au. Registering as a Corporate Ambassador is a simple, free and easy way for organisations to demonstrate their support for better health and cleaner air."

National Walk to Work Day is an annual initiative being held on Friday, 2 October 2009 involving businesses - big and small. Now in its 7th year as a national initiative, Walk to Work Day encourages regular walking to improve health and contribute to a cleaner environment. Organisations who register as Corporate Ambassadors simply pledge to encourage their employees to walk to work more often and participate in National Walk to Work Day on Friday 2 October.

Moderate physical activity including walking (even 15 minutes before and after work each day) has shown to significantly enhance well-being, productivity and reduce absenteeism.

In addition, a recent study found health-related losses in productivity in the workplace average 4.2% for workers with moderate to severe obesity, 1.8% higher than for other employees. The cost of this lower performance could reach thousands of dollars per year for every obese employee, leading to calls for more workplace programs targeting weight loss.

As well as organisations getting behind National Walk to Work Day, individuals are being invited to register as a Walking Class Hero to go in the draw to win a Walking Holiday for two, in New Zealand.