First step: Put one foot in front of the other.
Hey! Not so fast, runners. You can take one step back.
We're talking walking the walk here.
Where are you headed? Anywhere and everywhere.
From Davis to Auburn, Land Park to Curtis Park – even around Sacramento's Old City Cemetery – walking has become one of the region's most popular forms of exercise.
Indeed, walking has hit its stride with moms and strollers, dads with dogs and especially boomers who want a calorie-burning cardio workout that doesn't pound their joints.
To learn how to maximize the benefits of walking – whether on your own or in an organized group – we talked to some experts to get the do's and don'ts.
The first thing not to do?
You're not allowed to stop and smell the roses along the way.
Memberships available
Like running, walking can be a solitary workout or you can do it with a partner (spouse, friend, co-worker) or in a group.
Locally, clubs like Sacfit (Sacramento Friends in Training) and clubs affiliated with the California Volkssport Association, including the Sacramento Walking Sticks and the Davis Dynamos, offer motivation to get up off the couch and hoof it with your walking buddies.
Steve Hughart, 58, is president of the Sacramento Walking Sticks, which is one of the oldest volkssport clubs, organized almost 25 years ago. It boasts 239 members and is always looking for more.
"Our youngest member is 6 months," Hughart says, laughing. "But I would say the average age is mid- to late-50s. We definitely would like to get more young families involved.
(FYI: Volkssport is a German word that means "people's sports.")
Hughart and his wife, Gale, joined 2 1/2 years ago after attending a SMUD health fair.
"It's something we can do together, and then there are the social aspects to it," he says.
Most walking clubs stress that, while they do have organized walks – in places like the Yolo Basin Wildlife Refuge and William B. Pond Recreation Area – events are intended to be self-paced and noncompetitive.
Local clubs like Sacfit also offer assistance to those super walkers who might be training for half-marathon or marathon walks.
Steph Lindley, 36, of Citrus Heights is in her first season with Sacfit. She joined after a friend raved about losing 40 pounds and having fun doing it.
"I like that they teach you to walk without injuring yourself," says Lindley, who has had seven knee surgeries.
"Before joining Sacfit, I was a frustrated athlete," she adds. "So, walking in this group allows me to feel more athletic again. (The walks) are scheduled with built-in accountability.
"You have to get up on Saturday mornings!"
One of Lindley's longest walks was about three weeks ago, when she hoofed it for two hours, 40 minutes.
Another Sacfit member, Peter Dolgenos, 50, joined in January. He found out about the club through Fleet Feet Sports in midtown Sacramento.
Dolgenos, who works at the state law library, walks for the exercise – and the advice.
"I found out after joining Sacfit that I was getting blisters because I wasn't tying my laces tight enough," he says.
Dolgenos, who is a self- described "distance person," will attempt his first walking half-marathon May 3.
Walk your way
Let's say you're a veteran walker who embraces solitude. Just you, your iPod and the American River Parkway or a neighborhood jaunt in Natomas.
How do you avoid walking in the same rut?
Meaghan Buchan, fitness director of Self magazine, says there are ways to turbocharge your walking routine.
"Walking is a great form of exercise, but you don't want it to be a stroll," Buchan says over the phone from New York. "We feature a 30-minute workout in our May issue (currently on newsstands) that consists of five circuits. You walk at a moderate pace for four minutes, and then have a one-minute speed burst that might include jumping jacks, running in place, one-legged squats, dips on a park bench or lunges on steps."
The key is to break up your walk with additional exercises that burn more calories and make your walk more efficient.
Call The Bee's Leigh Grogan, (916) 321-1129.
