Regular aerobic exercise produces a number of benefits, including weight loss, reduced risk of obesity-related diseases and a stronger immune system. Working out regularly might even improve your mood. But you don't have to join a gym to enjoy the benefits of regular exercise. You can get fit and stay healthy with a walking program -- which offers benefits above and beyond the extra fitness you build.
Inexpensive
The only special equipment you need to start a walking program is a sturdy pair of sneakers. Although you can walk on treadmills, you don't have to buy a treadmill or join a gym to work out. Just go outside and start walking. Walk to town or at least partway there, if you live in the country, or follow a walking route through safe neighborhoods if you live in the city.
Individualized
You could get competitive about walking if you tried, and a little competition -- such as with your friends to see who can walk the most miles in a week -- might be just the motivation you need to work out even harder. But walking is such an independent activity that you can easily give that competitive streak the dodge, too, and still get your workout in. You're not leashed to a treadmill, so you don't have to worry about what the person next to you is doing. As long as you break a sweat and get slightly out of breath, you're working out at a moderate intensity, no matter how fast you're walking.
Flexible
You can walk almost anywhere. Hiking in national parks, walking inside a mall or your office building and walking down a city street can all count toward your quota for the day, especially if you swing your arms and move briskly enough to break a sweat. You can also measure your steps according to what motivates you the most. If you want to see every single step you take throughout the day add up, buy a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps, or roughly 5 miles, every day. If you get a bigger charge out of seeing your total distance, pedometers can calculate that too, or you can walk on a track or course of known length so that you know exactly how far you've gone. Or just take a stopwatch on your outings and track how long you spend walking every day.
Multitasking
Walking is one of the few fitness programs you can follow while multitasking. Taking a walk as a family is a great excuse to turn quality time into fitness time, too. You might be able to inspire "walking meetings" at work, and you can even use walking as a chance to catch up with friends, either walking and chatting in person or by cellular phone.
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