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ARTHRITIS More than 3 million Americans suffer osteoarthritis--the wear-and-tear kind of arthritis--of the knees. Walking reduces the pain by strengthening the muscles around the joint. Walking in a pool or gently lifting weights can also help. You may need to exercise every other day to give joints time to recover. DEPRESSION A quick walk around the block is one way to get a fresh attitude, but can a program of regular walking do anything for clinical depression? New evidence suggests that it can. Antidepressants work more quickly to dispel serious depression, but at least one study found that, after 10 months, depressed patients who were not medicated and started exercising were less likely to relapse than those who took antidepressant drugs alone.
CANCER Tantalizing clues emerged last year that walking may help lower the risk of colorectal cancer, possibly because walking helps wastes move more quickly through the intestines. Further research is needed, however, to confirm the finding.
Walking won't cure everything that ails you, of course, and nothing happens overnight. "People who have never exercised regularly should not think that in a week they'll solve their problems by walking," says Dr. David Curb of the University of Hawaii. But they can expect a regular walking program to serve them well into old age.
When you are ready to begin, a few pointers can help you get the most out of your walking routine. First, pay attention to your shoes. If you were a runner, you may need a new pair; runners land on their heels, which is why running shoes have more cushioning at the back. Walkers spend more time with the entire foot on the ground, so shoes for walking need to have more room at the front for the feet to spread.
Second, keep a record of your efforts, including how long you walked and how far you went. There's nothing like toting up the improvements to keep you motivated and challenge you to do better.
Third, prepare yourself properly. The best way to avoid muscle aches is to start slowly and incorporate gentle stretches into your pre-exercise warm-up and post-exercise cooldown.
Finally, set realistic goals. Some people find that walking at a specific time each day works best for them. Others shoehorn walking into their day by making minor adjustments in their daily routines, such as parking the car a few blocks away from the grocery store, taking the stairs instead of the escalator or prodding officemates to break for a walk rather than for a cup of coffee.
Remember: you don't need to win any races to get healthy. The secret to success is to keep a steady course.
--With reporting by Amanda Bower and Alice Park/New York and Stacie Stukin/Los Angeles