By Barbara C. Bourassa  

Your sneakers are laced up, the dog is pulling at the leash, and the sun is shining. You’re ready for your daily walk, and a growing body of research shows that walking is good for your body in more ways than one.

Regular exercise can reduce the risk of conditions such as heart disease or diabetes, help to maintain a healthy weight, build bone strength, and boost your immune system. It’s also good for your mood, helps strengthen your heart, and can keep your brain sharp. What’s more, several new studies show that exercise can help control high blood pressure, boost levels of good cholesterol, and ward off diseases such as Parkinson’s. Even 10 minutes of walking every day is beneficial, according to researchers at Louisiana State University.

Positive results
A study in the June issue of Hypertension showed that participants who completed three 60-minute exercise sessions per week for four months had lower blood pressure readings. In a second article, published in the May 28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers analyzed 25 studies published between 1966 and 2005. Their analysis revealed that regular exercise increased high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or so-called good cholesterol. And researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health recently revealed that people with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease were engaging in moderate to vigorous exercise two to three times per week.

But the best news of all comes from researchers at Louisiana State University, who found that even 10 minutes a day of regular exercise can improve your cardiovascular health. Writing in the May 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the researchers said, “this is great news for couch potatoes and for the aging.”

The calories burned are very real: According to data from the Mayo Clinic, a 140- to 150-pound person walking at 2 mph will burn 160 to 170 calories per hour, while that same person walking at 3.5 mph will burn about 245 calories.

Start slow
Experts advise starting out slow and building up to longer distances or faster walking times. New walkers might aim for three 15-minute sessions per week, with the goal of walking for 30 minutes, five days a week. During your walks, you should be walking briskly, but be able to maintain a conversation. If you can't catch your breath, slow it down. If you’re not working up a light sweat, you may need to increase your pace.

Walking 12 miles a week, or about 30 minutes on most days of the week, is probably enough to prevent weight gain in most people, say researchers at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.

Before starting a new exercise program, check with your doctor, especially if you haven’t been exercising regularly. Experts at the American Council on Exercise suggest taking time to warm up and cool down after your walk, wear proper footwear, dress for the weather, and never increase mileage more than 10 percent per week.

In addition, all walkers can benefit from including a weight-lifting or strength-training program on alternative days to achieve overall fitness.

Barbara C. Bourassa is a freelance writer and editor living in North Andover, Mass.