Walking for exercise is an idea whose time has come. As more and more of us want to simplify our lives, what could be simpler than putting one foot in front of the other and just moving? It's easy, it's economical (all you really need is the right pair of shoes), and you don't need to make time to drive to a gym. Plus, you can do it anywhere.

Wendy Bumgardner is an expert on walking. Bumgardner, who's been walking for 16 years, is the walking guide at About.com. She's hosted about 100 non-competitive walking events and is passionate about walking. She says all that beginners need to get started is "willpower to get out the door and a comfortable pair of shoes." Bumgardner also suggests joining a walking club or recruiting a walking partner as "a good way to get started or committed."

You don't have to be athletic or even in good shape to start walking. Most of the avid walkers we talked to do not consider themselves athletes. "I definitely am not an athlete," says Dena Stroud of Archdale, N.C. "I have never been able to really 'run.' Walking is definitely something everybody can do!"

Stroud recently started walking again after experiencing some non-walking related health problems. And while she admits to mixing up her exercise routine by throwing in a little aerobics "to keep the boredom down," she also agrees with the experts on another way to keep things moving. "If you have a walking partner, that really helps prevent boredom and gives you some competition," she says. Stroud also enjoys walking to fast-paced music, where she can "walk to the beat and really get some walking done!"

When asked if she considers herself an athlete, Martha McClure Miller of Medford, Ore., says, "Oh, heavens no!" McClure Miller, who does admit to being fit and active, has always enjoyed walking, but didn't start doing it seriously until the fall of 1995. "I bought a treadmill and started using it daily, then in the spring when the weather got nicer I started walking outside," she says. "I worked up from walking a mile three days a week to walking over 100 miles a month." McClure Miller is looking forward to walking her first marathon.

Lori Govier of Calgary, Alberta, is no self-proclaimed athlete either, although she has been walking off and on for five years – quite seriously for four months. "I try to walk a minimum of four days a week," she says. "I walk at an approximate speed of 3 1/2 miles per hour and go for approximately 50 to 60 minutes per session."

Govier combines her coffee and lunch breaks to get her workout in. "My city has some great hills to climb, so on my more energetic days I try to get some uphill in," she says. And like Stroud, Govier walks to music. "Sometimes I will walk a couple of songs, then jog one song, then walk a couple."

What benefits can you experience from walking? After losing 15 pounds in the last few months, Govier cites weight loss and stress reduction among the positive changes she's experienced. "I find I have much more energy," she says. "I sleep much better, and getting out in the fresh air really gives me a mid-day lift."

McClure has also experienced weight loss, but she finds the mental benefits of walking outweigh the physical ones. "The best one for me is the time walking gives me to think, mull things over, and [walking] helps me relax," she says. "When I was going through a divorce, being able to go 'walk things out' was priceless."

Stress reduction is also the biggest benefit for Stroud. "Walking really helps with the stress in your life," she says. "After a hard day at work, nothing can make me feel any better." She adds that feeling better and stronger along with slow weight loss are other benefits she's experienced.

Bumgardner cites long-term health benefits of walking. "Walking for a half hour to an hour a day is related to a decrease in risk of heart disease, stroke, breast cancer, colon cancer, gallbladder disease and Type II Diabetes by 20 percent to 50 percent," she says. "It is also associated with living longer and healthier, and [walking has] been shown to increase mental acuity."

The physical and mental benefits of walking cannot be denied. "Be smart, and live longer and healthier – walk each day," says Bumgardner. "If we had an herb or vitamin [that offered the benefits walking does], it would sell for big bucks. People do have that magic pill: they can get out and walk each day. It is within their reach."

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