A daily walking routine can help you lose weight, lower cholesterol, strengthen your heart, and reduce the likelihood of serious health problems down the road. And with America spending more than ever on preventable health problems like heart disease, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, and conditions associated with obesity such as arthritis, every step counts.

Walking is a great way to improve your health and lose weight. It also decreases your chances of contracting certain diseases and boosts your overall physical and mental well-being.

WalkyTalk will help you plan, track, and maintain a regular walking program, using information you provide to create a personalized log of your progress.

In addition to using WalkyTalk to log your progress, you can:

• Read up on walking essentials, such as the best footwear or pedometers
• Learn about safety tips and basic guidelines for great results
• Find suggested music playlists for your iPod (or other portable music player)
• Visit the forum to share ideas and gain support from fellow WalkyTalkers

You'll have access to Jodi Davis's Blog an online chronicle of how Jodi lost 162 pounds through walking and the Eating Right section for walking-related health and medical questions.

Getting Started

To avoid injury, consider starting out slowly. Unless you are already walking a lot, it may take a while before you reach your goal. Follow these steps to establish your individual goal and shape your program:

1. BASELINE. There are two ways to track your progress, either by tracking time or distance. If you are using a pedometer, measure your distance for seven days; if you don't have a pedometer, follow the recommendations of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports begin with 30 minutes of brisk-paced walking at least five days each week. Keep a log to track the amount of daily walking activity you are currently doing. This will establish your baseline.

2. BENCHMARK. Your benchmark is the longest distance or highest number of minutes you walked on any given day while establishing your baseline the first week. Use that number as your daily goal for the second and third weeks. Log your daily walks, and at the end of the third week, review your log. If you averaged your goal, increase your daily goal for the fourth and fifth weeks.

3. BUILD. At the end of each 2-week period, try to add more distance or time to your walking goal. If you had difficulty reaching your goal, walk at the same level until you build enough endurance to increase your target. Continue to log your activity to prevent slipping back or dropping out. If you find yourself falling behind your average daily goal, try not to become discouraged. To maintain your motivation, keep logging your progress and stay with the same distance or time instead of increasing your target.

Keep in mind that everyone is different. If you are very overweight or have other chronic health problems, talk with your doctor to determine a goal that may be more appropriate.

In addition to your normal walks, consider the following suggestions to add more exercise to your day:

• Take the stairs as often as possible
• Park several blocks from your destination or park at the rear of the parking lot
• Walk the last few blocks instead of riding the bus all the way to work
• Get off of the elevator early and walk a couple of flights of stairs
• Park at the opposite end of the mall from where you need to shop
• Walk when you shop or do other errands
• Consider organizing a lunchtime walking group at work, or a before-or-after-work group with friends or neighbors
• Instead of watching television after dinner, get the whole family outside for a game of tag, Frisbee or a walk around the block
• Most important, try not to get stuck in the "all or nothing" rut even if you don't have time for a long walk, you might be able to squeeze in a short one and you will soon notice the benefits of walking