Learning how to walk again - for fitness

Like a lot of men "of a certain age," I go to my gym for an hour of strength and conditioning training a few times a week.

I know what the experts say - that such exercise is important because it helps counteract the loss in muscle tissue and bone density as we age. And yes, I use a personal trainer, mainly because I've learned that when I make a specific appointment to exercise, I usually beat the temptation to skip the workout (there are so many good excuses, between work and family commitments).

Still, even with a fairly rigorous and balanced regimen, I recognize that I'm not getting enough cardiovascular exercise to counter the sit-and-snack syndrome afflicting many of us who spend hours every day in front of a computer screen or TV. I do jump on a treadmill or stair climber now and then, and I don't mind jogging, but I can't seem to find the time I need to burn off those extra midlife pounds. Increasingly, as baby boomers like me move from our Fab 50s into the Sweet 60s, there seems to be one simple and viable option: walking.

One way to get started is to put back the steps we used to take - the daily walking we've eliminated through technology, such as cars and elevators, notes Mark Fenton, the author and nationally known expert on walking and pedestrian issues. Make a point of taking the stairs, he says, walk during lunch or take walking breaks at work or around the house.

Walking also offers us the advantage of greater flexibility: It's one exercise where we can command the time, place and pace. No need to schedule walks with trainers; we can do them alone or with others.

Most experts suggest 30 minutes of daily walking at least five times a week. But it can be accumulated exercise over the course of a day - say, 15 minutes before breakfast and 15 minutes before dinner (good time slots for me). For weight loss, you would need to walk longer and faster, about 45 to 60 minutes a day at a "purposeful" pace, says Fenton, a former member of the U.S. race walking team and host of PBS's "America's Walking" series.

Of course, you still get the basic health benefits of other cardio exercises. Medical research shows that a 30-minute walk several days a week can substantially reduce your risk of heart attack and diseases such as diabetes and osteoporosis. It also helps "lubricate our joints," without producing the impact or stress of jogging, says my trainer, John Romaniello of Planet Fitness in Glen Cove. "Even if it doesn't necessarily result in weight loss, walking is important in keeping you active as you get older," he says. "It's like Newton's Law: a body in motion tends to stay in motion."

Walking also gets high marks from developers, planners and environmentalists these days. So-called smart growth advocates tout the benefits of pedestrian-friendly, "walkable communities" that help eliminate traffic congestion, save energy and eliminate pollutants, while putting residents in greater touch with their own neighborhoods. Being able to walk to stores and services is especially important to many seniors, who generally drive less as they age.

All that said, there's another thing that draws me to walking, besides the benefits of the green-and-gray revolution. I . . . like to walk. Whether I'm hiking alone in the woods or on the streets of Manhattan (no iPod or cell phone in my ears), there's something profound about walking for me: moving purposefully, sensing changes, patterns, colors, sounds, social interactions.

Walking moves my mind, too. When I feel stuck, answers come to me. The quiet, rhythmic movement of the body seems to unlock old thoughts and give rise to new, unexpected ones. And it's not just me.

"When we walk, we wake up our consciousness," says Julia Cameron in her book, "Finding Water: The Art of Perseverance," the third book in her "Artist's Way" trilogy. "We carry wisdom in our bodies," adds Cameron. "We carry memories and carry, too, the medicine for what ails us. We can walk our way to sanity. We can walk our way to clarity."