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.

These interval exercises are especially good for target areas, including these female favorites: triceps ("bye-bye arms"), abs, back and butt.

"That raises a good point," Buchan says, "because 83 percent of our readers (mostly women) say walking is their primary form of exercise."

She agrees that walking tends to skew toward an older person who suffers joint aches and pains. But walking is a "good everybody plan."

There are no excuses, no gym, no equipment – other than good shoes. (Read on for apparel do's and don'ts.)

"Your goal is to get your heart pumping for 30 minutes," says Buchan, who herself is a marathoner and professed "gym rat."

Feet first

Observe your neighborhood and you might see folks walking in everything from boat shoes to ballet flats.

Bad idea! Walking follows some of the same rules as running, especially being fitted for the proper shoe.

One question that often comes up: Is a running shoe suitable for walking, or do I have to buy a walking shoe?

Justin Weisenberger, store manager at the Fleet Feet in midtown Sacramento, conducts stride assessments to determine which shoe best fits a walker.

What is he looking for?

"I watch a customer walk barefoot to check out their arch, their mobility, how their hips are placed and if everything (including the glutes) is moving," he says.

He also will have a customer do a knee bend to see if their knees pronate, or roll over their feet or inward.

"With walking, your hips should be going up and down, your knees tracking above the feet with good posture, shoulders back and down, your arms and legs driving forward, not side to side.

"You don't want to be twisty or loose," Weisenberger says.

He adds that more than 50 percent of new customers to his store are also new to fitness and choose walking to get started.

"However, walking shoes are kind of mislabeled," Weisenberger says. "Sometimes they can be rigid and not as breathable, flexible and lightweight as a running shoe."

That's why getting fitted – even for walking shoes – can help avoid injuries, including plantar fasciitis.

Neither Weisenberger of Fleet Feet nor Buchan of Self magazine advocate walking with weights, especially around the ankles.

"The human body is enough weight," Weisenberger says. Adding weight can throw off your gait, again setting up the possibility of an injury.

What about pedometers to track steps?

Buchan thinks they're kind of "fuddy-duddy."

"Listen to your body," she says. "It's more about putting in the walking time. Set realistic goals. Start with, say, three walks a week. You'll find yourself building up to maybe 60 or 90 minutes.

"Just keep moving!"

As for apparel, avoid cotton. There are great options in synthetic running apparel that work just as well for walkers. You want the material to wick moisture away from your body, not absorb it.

A couple of accouterments

We found some gadgets to help make your walking workout, well, fun.

For example:

• From Nike and iPod: The Nike + iPod Sport Kit ($29) is a partnership between Nike and iPod. It comes with a little sensor that you slip into a pocket under the sock liner of your Nike shoe (or use an Ultimate Direction clip-on pouch that goes on the top of the shoe, $11, if you walk in another brand). A workout is "loaded" on to your iPod Nano to track distance, time, pace and calorie burn, all of which can be heard through the headphones. There are even mini "workouts" you can select during your walk.

• From AirDrives: The Listen Smarter headphones ($80) are "smart" because they pick up ambient sounds during your walk, including cars, dogs and other people.