Riding, walking to work builds fitness into day

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Lois Fletcher started taking the subway to work nine months ago to save money. It turned out to be an excellent way for her to lose weight -- more than 30 pounds to be exact. Five mornings a week, the 53-year-old mother of three boards a commuter train in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, and heads downtown. She then walks about a mile to her office at the American Cancer Society, where she works as a computer specialist. "My doctor has been encouraging me to exercise for quite some time," Fletcher said. "I've never been able to fit it into my schedule. Now it is part of my daily commute." Like millions of mass transit riders around the United States, Fletcher realizes that leaving her car behind and getting on a train is good for her physical and mental health.