Get walking

You know it's good for you, so take these tips

It's official -- again. Walking is good for you.

That's the word from a comprehensive review and evaluation of exercise studies that will inform a set of exercise guidelines the federal government is expected to issue in the fall.

You can vastly improve your health by walking nine or 10 miles a week, according to recommendations in the 638-page report compiled on behalf of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.

And it doesn't matter if you do it in nine or 10 leisurely walks around the neighborhood, or one all-out weekend run. In fact, the former is better for you in certain circumstances.

Already, walking is the exercise of choice among Americans. According to the National Sporting Goods Association, nearly 90 million Americans walked for exercise last year. (The next most popular form of exercise, swimming, was a distant second with 52.8 adherents.)

In case you've been waiting for that last bit of evidence, that piece of encouragement to push you over the edge and into that walking program you've been promising you'd start, read on for some helpful tips to get you out the door -- and down the sidewalk and up the street and across to the park.

First, the obligatory advisory: Before starting any exercise program, see your doctor, advises Logan Rae, fitness director at the UNC Wellness Center at Meadowmont in Chapel Hill. Let her put you up on the lift, take your blood pressure and your pulse, run a few other basic tests to make sure you're good to go. More, please: Tips.

What should I wear? Unlike most activities, walking does not require special clothing and equipment. Here are the basics, according to Rae: loose-fitting clothes to allow free movement; a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen if you're walking on a sunny day. She suggests shoes a size bigger than you typically wear, but that fit. But if you find after a few strolls that walking is your thing, treat yourself to some good walking shoes. Well worth the investment. More, please: Tips.

Getting started. If you've been a slug up to now, and especially if you're over 55, you need to start slow. Maybe walk out your front door for 10 minutes then walk back. The next week, walk for 15 minutes before turning around. Walk longer and or pick up your pace as your walking regimen progresses. More, please: Tips.

Style counts. Your walk will be more enjoyable and beneficial if you do the following, says Rae: Keep your back straight, eyes forward and chin up, shoulders relaxed, stomach and behind tight. As for your stride, small steps to start, making sure your heels touch the ground first. More, please: Tips.

Drink! Even for a 15-minute walk around the neighborhood, take water and drink it before you're thirsty. Even on a short walk, water can help maintain your energy level and ward off cramps, headaches and other ills. More, please: Tips.

Why am I doing this again? Your first time or two out may prove a challenge. It's hot, you're not used to this salty discharge oozing from your skin. Why am I doing this again? you may find yourself asking. Here are several quick-hit reasons to walk, from WakeMed Health & Hospitals:

• Minimize risk of heart attacks.
• Lower blood pressure.
• Reduce cholesterol levels.
• Ease back pain.
• Slow rate of bone loss and ward off osteoporosis.
• Improve muscle tone.
• Increase energy level.
• Suppress appetite, speed up metabolism

Suppress appetite? Speed up metabolism? Yep, we're talking weight loss -- or at least control -- here. Using one of the activity calculators available on the Web -- in this case, the Fitness Partner Connection Jumpsite -- we've compared the number of calories burned by a 170-pound person walking at an increasingly faster pace: