walking

I get a hard time from my husband's co-workers -- especially on rainy days and all winter long. That's because he bikes to work every day, even in inclement weather, while our car stays home sitting in the driveway.

They think I'm mean, mean, mean. But in reality, he just likes to ride his bike.

But, he's a minority in our country.

You can look far and wide, but you won't find a more enthusiastic walking buddy than man's best friend: your dog. In our house, it's not even smart to say the word "walk" before you've laced up your shoes.

A handful of studies have tried to measure what dog lovers have known all along -- dogs like to walk, and people who have dogs like to make their dogs happy:

It's a great way to shed weight or at least keep from gaining additional pounds--buy a pedometer and track your daily steps. The target number you hear most often is a daunting 10,000 steps a day. Ten thousand steps is almost five miles. That's pretty challenging if you have a hectic schedule, but it's worth it, right?

Well, unfortunately, a recent pedometer study says it may take just a bit more than that.

Call it Race-Walking or Speed-Walking or Power-Walking: whatever form you choose, it can be a great alternative to running - particularly for those whose joints can no longer take the pounding running demands.

Yet hardly anyone seems to take advantage of this cheap, convenient, calorie-blasting, joint-friendly workout. Why is that?

Like the treadmill but want to do it out in the fresh air? Forget walking... that's so last year.

Get a treadmill on wheels instead. You could get one to go with your treadmill desk.

Here are two "interesting" inventions.

If you are like me with a full time job, sitting in front of a computer for 8-12 hours a day - but you want to lose weight - you will agree that this is a real challenge. The researchers from Mayo Clinic believe they have found a solution for this problem.

They call it the "vertical workstation" and it's a desk fitted over a standard treadmill that costs $1600.

The fitness industry has produced another machine that will no doubt find its way into most gyms. A gravity machine - looking something like a hack squat machine and leg press - is being used in group sessions as well as individually.

There are other ways to make gravity your workout partner - and here are some of the best.

We all have different goals when it comes to exercise. Despite this, walking is (arguably) the one exercise that you hear the most about.

Researchers from the University of Alberta compared fitness levels between the 10,000 step program, and a slightly more intense fitness regime. Not surprisingly they found that "gentle exercise was not enough to get fit."

A pedometer is a portable step counter. Clip it onto your belt and you can count how many steps you've made. Pedometers are excellent little gadgets that measure your progress in both planned and incidental exercise sessions.

Cheap pedometers are easy to come by - some are even given away for free. Unfortunately it seems that many pedometers are inaccurate.

Fitness trends come and go. Spinning, Cardio Striptease, Pilates, Vibration Machines - there are loads of different exercise routines other there. Any kind of exercise is good - anything that you can enjoy that gets your body moving is a good thing. If all the options and trends are too much - then it's time to fall back on the most accessible exercise - walking.

Study: 30 minutes of exercise a day takes off pounds

msnbc: Overweight adults who are not on a diet need only a small amount of exercise — the equivalent of a half-hour of brisk walking per day — to prevent further weight gain, a study found.