Prevention's Complete Book of Walking: Everything You Need to Know to Walk Your Way to Better Health

Walking is a super sport for health, weight loss, stress reduction, and management of a number of medical conditions. Prevention's Complete Book of Walking gives you every piece of information you need for stepping out, including choosing shoes, clothing, treadmills, gadgets, location, technique, speed, and walking vacations, plus advice about diet, strength training, and yoga. Learn how to train for a race, whether a 5K (3.1 miles) walk/run is your speed, a marathon (26.2 miles), or volkswalk (6.2 miles). You'll learn a new way of walking from the six-week "dynamic walking" program included here. Dynamic walking is a series of techniques and exercises for improving posture, gait, and biomechanics while walking, developed by movement therapist Suki Munsell, Ph.D.

Author Maggie Spilner, an editor at Prevention magazine, progressed from agoraphobia (fear of open spaces), which prevented her from walking farther than around the block, to becoming an avid walker who has walked extensively in five countries. "I consider walking to be both my therapy and my proving ground," she says now. Spilner's style is warm and chatty, as if you're joining her for a walk and friendly conversation. She relates personal stories; describes walks she has taken; offers sound, expert-based advice; and illustrates points with anecdotes. Most of all, she wants you to enjoy walking. "I like to think of walking as an art form and of every walk as a painting-in-progress," she writes. "Enjoy the landscape!" --Joan Price