Arkansan Jim Wilson had 300 pounds on his 5-foot-7-inch frame when he decided he wanted to walk a half marathon. He knew it would be a long journey: he couldn't walk a mile without getting winded.

Still, his goal spurred him on. He started training in March 2001, and in September of that year he walked a scenic 13-mile loop in Red Rock Canyon, outside Las Vegas.

Along the way, he started feeling stronger and sleeping better. His self-esteem shot up, and he ate more healthfully. By the time he walked his five-hour half-marathon, he was down 50 pounds.

"The whole process [gave me] a major feeling of accomplishment," says Wilson, a 53-year-old financial adviser.

You don't have to walk 13 miles to reap the benefits of walking. In fact, it's one of the best ways for a sedentary person to start an exercise program, says California health educator, fitness expert, and author Shirley Archer.

"There's very low risk of injury with walking," she says. "It's comfortable, easy, and low-cost. All you need is a good pair of shoes."

Besides that, she says, it can actually be enjoyable, which is half the battle when it comes to sticking to a fitness regime.

"Too many people think of exercise like medicine," says Archer, the mind-body spokeswoman for IDEA Health and Fitness Association. "It's not. It can be fun and the body will start to love it."

A Step Toward Health and Happiness

Medically, the benefits of walking are undisputed, says Little Rock, Ark., orthopaedic surgeon John Yocum, MD. Cardiovascular exercise such as walking can reduce the risk of heart disease and improve heart function and muscle tone, as well as lower blood pressure, cholesterol, risk of stroke, and risk of injury, says Yocum.

In addition, he says, "improving strength around the joints can help with degenerative joint disease."

But that's not all. "The benefits are multiple," he says, "not the least of which is the improved sense of well-being or happiness with the increased endorphin levels."

Archer, who coaches many beginning exercisers, says they have a kind of "awakening" when they begin to work out. They begin to feel better, so they sleep better, manage stress better, and get more energy in the process, says Archer. As a result, their self-esteem improves.

Former Olympic marathon runner Julie Isphording, a walking/running coach, author, columnist and host of two health and fitness radio shows for National Public Radio in Cincinnati, says she sees it often in the walkers she trains.

"People start to change their attitude," she says. "It really isn't about the walk. It's about something so much bigger; so much better. You can breathe deeper. You last longer in the day. You're running up steps."

When walkers enlist a partner, it's even better, Isphording says.

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