Why Walk?
It may be hard to believe that something you’ve been doing since your first birthday is so good for you. But it’s true: Walking is the ideal low-impact, moderate-intensity exercise.

Studies have shown that a regular walking workout has many benefits. It:

• Lowers blood pressure. Healthy but sedentary volunteers reduced their blood pressure significantly by walking briskly for 30 minutes a day, three days a week, according to a 2007 Irish study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
• Reduces risk of type 2 diabetes. People who walked more daily had better insulin sensitivity than those who walked less, according to a 2011 Australian study.
• Reduces risk of breast cancer. Women who walked briskly for just 1.25-2.5 hours per week were 18% less likely to develop the cancer than those who were sedentary, according to a 2003 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
• Lowers risk of premature death. Mortality risk was 1.54 times higher for people who sat most of the day compared to those who walked briskly for 30 minutes five times a week, according to a 2009 Canadian study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
• Improves cholesterol. Men who walked briskly regularly for 12 weeks had lower total cholesterol and higher HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels than those who didn’t, a 2008 British study published in Preventive Medicine found.
• Boosts energy. The more people walk, the more energetic they feel throughout the day, according to a 2003 study at California State University, Long Beach.
• Improves body composition. Walking 12 miles a week significantly decreased abdominal, waist and hip measurements, according to a 2004 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
• Get Equipped.
  Fortunately, a walking workout requires little gear. But before you venture out, get comfortable clothing and supportive shoes.