"Is walking exercise?" people often ask me. Generally, I'm prone to respond with, "walking is good exercise for the elderly, disabled, pregnant or extremely overweight." If you're reasonably healthy and have little to no restricted mobility, then I'd normally say that it's not good exercise if you are wanting to lose weight or burn calories. Of course, there are a lot of benefits to walking - the outdoor air, the serenity to just take in your surroundings, and of course, walking is better than sitting.

So, is it possible to walk for fitness? Yes, if you do it correctly. There is more than one method, but the one I'm about to describe is the one I like.

Always stretch before your walk.

The first 10 minutes should be treated as a warm-up, so don't go too quickly just yet.

Then walk as fast as you can for 2 city blocks. Then return to your warm-up pace for 2 minutes. Continue the patter of 2 blocks of fast walking and 2 minutes of your average walking pace. Do this routine 8-12 times.

The last 10 minutes should be your cool down pace, followed by stretching and water.

If you incorporate this style into your walking repertoire, you should start feeling and looking better soon.

Average walking won't get you anywhere. You have to earn it.

Get your heart rate up and make this part of your regular routine.