Of all the ways to stay fit, walking is the easiest, safest, and cheapest. Briskly walking one mile-usually at 3.5 to 4 miles an hour-burns nearly as many calories as running a mile at a moderate pace, and confers similar fitness and health benefits. Even strolling or slow walking at about 2 miles per hour confers some benefits.

A recent Harvard School of Public Health study of nearly 40,000 female health professionals found that walking as little as an hour a week at any pace reduces the risk of coronary artery diseases. The longer and more vigorous the walk, the greater the risk reduction.

Here are some tips on getting more out of your walking and to vary your routine:

•  Try to walk briskly for at least half an hour every day, or one hour four times a week. If you weigh 150 pounds, walking at 3.5 miles an hour on flat terrain burns about 300 calories per hour. So this schedule would burn about 1,100 calories a week.

Studies show that burning 1,000 to 2,000 calories a week in exercise helps protect against heart disease. If you can't work that into your schedule, try more frequent, shorter walks.

•  Make an effort to walk as much as possible. Skip elevators and escalators and take the stairs. Leave the car at home if you can walk the mile or two to a friend's house. Walk to work, at least part of the way.

•  Get a pedometer and see how many steps you take a day. Aim for 3,000, and then try to work up to at least 5,000 steps - About 2.5 miles for the average stride - in the course of your daily activities. Some Japanese health officials advise 10,000 steps as a goal, although there is no magic number. To achieve the higher goals, include brisk exercise walking in addition to walking at home and work.

•  Take faster steps if you want to go faster rather than taking longer steps. Lengthening your stride can increase strain on your feet and legs.

•  Swing your arms. One good option: bend them at 90 and pump from the shoulder, like race walkers do. Swing them naturally, as if you're reaching for your wallet in your back pocket. Keep your wrists straight, your hands unclenched, and elbows close to your sides. The vigorous arm pumping allows for a quicker pace, and provides a good workout for your upper body - and you'll burn 5-10% more calories.

•  Add interval training. For example, speed up for a minute or two every five minutes. Or alternate one fast mile with two slower miles.

•  Choose varied terrains. Walking on grass or gravel burns more calories than walking on a track. Walking on soft sand increases caloric expenditure by almost 50%, if you can keep up the pace.

•  Walk up and down hills to build strength and stamina, and burn more calories. Combine hill walking with your regular flat-terrain walking as a form of interval training. When walking uphill, lean forward slightly, which is easier on your leg muscles.

Walking downhill can be harder on your body, especially on the knees, than walking uphill, and may cause muscle soreness, so slow your pace, keep your knees slightly bent, and take shorter steps.

•  Try a walking stick or poles. A walking stick is helpful for balance, especially for older people. To enhance your upper-body workout, use lightweight, rubber-tipped trekking poles, sold in many sporting-goods stores. This is like cross-country skiing without the skis. This works the muscles of your chest and arms as well as some abdominals, while reducing the stress on your knees. For the right size, you should be able to grip the pole and keep your forearm about level as you walk.

•  Use hand weights carefully. Hand weights can boost your caloric expenditure, but they may alter your arm swing and thus lead to muscle soreness or injury. They're generally not recommended for people with high blood pressure or heart disease. If you want to use them, start with one-pound weights and increase the weight gradually. The weights shouldn't add up to more than 10% of your body weight. Ankle weights are not recommended, as they increase the chance of injury.

•  Try backward walking for a change of pace. It is demanding, since it's a novel activity for most people. Even a slow pace (2 mph) provides fairly intense training. "Retro" walking is also a good option if you're trying to vary your workout on a treadmill or stair-climbing machine. And if you're recovering from a knee injury, it may help. Be careful when going backwards outdoors: choose a smooth surface and keep far away from traffic, trees, potholes and other exercisers. To avoid muscle soreness, start slowly: don't try to walk backward more than a quarter mile the first week. Elderly exercisers or anyone else with balance problems should not retro walk.

•  Choose the right shoes. Avoid stiff-soled shoes that don't bend. "Walking shoes" have flexible soles and stiff heel counters to prevent side-to-side motion. But for normal terrain, any comfortable, cushioned, lightweight, low-heeled shoes will do.

This article includes information from the Berkeley Wellness Letter. 

Nubella News, a division of Marketing Technology Solutions, Inc., offers content intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We encourage our readers to seek prompt medical care for health issues and consult their physicians before starting a new diet, fitness regimen, or medical treatment.