THERESA: My friend Yvette Walker from the Kansas City Star accomplished a remarkable fitness goal this month. She completed her first half marathon, walking 13.1 miles in the Walt Disney World Half Marathon Jan. 11. Yvette trained for the event to raise money for stroke research. Her training began in August, and through diet and her new walking regimen, she lost 20 pounds and gained muscle and endurance, not to mention self-confidence and more than $3,000 for the cause.

"I entered the marathon through the Train to End Stroke program, sponsored by the American Stroke Association," she reports. "We met every Saturday from last August through December. We walked or ran in sun, rain and wind, on dry trails, wet and even icy ones. The group training to walk the half-marathon started walking two miles and went up to 12 over the course of five months. We also were charged to walk two to three miles every other day."

After reading Yvette's story, I asked trainer Diane Catrambone about the health benefits of walking, especially for someone just starting a new fitness program.

Diane: Walking is a fantastic tool for getting into shape, both for weight loss and to get and stay healthy. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that walking briskly for half an hour just six times a month cut the risk of premature death in men and women by 44%. Besides the well-documented health benefits, the beauty of walking is that you can go at your own pace and the equipment you need is minimal.

I do suggest a visit to a sneaker shop for a high quality pair of walking shoes. Make sure you try on shoes that fit you comfortably as your feet will most likely swell over long walks.

The other piece of equipment I suggest is a pedometer. The American Heart Association recommends walking "10,000 steps a day" for a healthy heart. This is a great goal. Clip the pedometer on in the morning and don't go to bed at night until you have completed 10,000 steps (that is about 5 miles/day)!

Stretching is extremely important when you engage in a walking program, especially if you are overweight. The extra stress on your joints will be lessened if your muscles are warm and stretched before walking and the same holds true for your after walk warm down and stretch. You may find it more difficult to walk in cold weather, but always have a "plan B"; something you can do indoors when the weather is just not cooperating.

And don't forget to hydrate. Even though it may be cold and you may not notice, you are dehydrating constantly and need to drink as much water as you do in warm weather.

Consistency is probably the most important part of your walking workout. The more committed you are to walking most days of the week, the more benefits you will derive from this activity. Even a short walk is better that no walk at all. Try to change up your routine i.e., 1 mile power walk on Monday, 3 mile moderate paced walk on Tuesday, etc, 1 mile power on Wednesday, 5 mile long walk on Thursday, etc. Walking is a great way to get in shape, but I do caution against only doing one activity. Cross training is the way to go for complete fitness. Make sure you are also weight training and engaging in some activity that will keep you flexible. Although cardiovascular activity is great for our heart health, and will help with momentary weight loss, strong muscles need more fuel and therefore burn more calories over the long term.

Anything to add, Girlfriends?