The fit companies program was launched two years ago because people spend more of their day sitting at work - 164 more hours a year than 20 years ago.
The heart association says people are up to 2 1/2 times more likely to develop heart disease if they are inactive, and 70 percent of adults get no regular physical activity. Cardiovascular disease is the nation's No. 1 killer.
The association partnered with Baltimore and Mayor Sheila Dixon, designating April 16 as "Start Walking Day in Baltimore," as a means to encourage more people to get moving.
The heart association says adults gain as much as two hours of life expectancy for each hour of regular, vigorous exercise, like brisk walking.
"Adults spend so many of their waking hours at their desks," said Nicole Aiello Sapio, a senior vice president of corporate relations at the Mid-Atlantic affiliate of the heart association. "Companies need to offer the opportunities."
That includes all workplaces. Also on the list of Fit Companies is Baltimore's Health Department. Commissioner Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein said he holds regular meetings while on walks and has put up "take the stairs" signs on all the elevators.
"They're relatively easy but important steps for employers to take," Sharfstein said.
Sharfstein said Baltimore's population is particularly affected by health troubles related to weight. Diabetes and other conditions jumped from 5.8 percent to 10.3 percent of the population from 1995 to 2004.
Alan D. Wilson, the Sparks spice maker McCormick & Co. Inc.'s president and chief executive officer, launched a variety of health-related programs. They included nutrition education, Weight Watchers, weight-loss contests, walking groups, yoga and aerobics classes, massage therapy and personal health assessments.
He learned his own cholesterol was high in one of those assessments and began working out more in a gym and eating oatmeal for breakfast until the number came down.
Wilson said he tried to set an example by taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Many of his 2,000 employees followed. The programs at McCormick and elsewhere are voluntary, but Wilson said the bosses do have to create an atmosphere.
"We have a lot of programs, but there is definitely a cultural aspect to this," he said.
