How to make every step count

Pedometer Walking: Walking as exercise is easy, inexpensive and doesn’t require heavy machinery. But starting a formal walking program can be a challenge. Authors Fenton (a nationally known walking expert, writer and host of the PBS show “America’s Walking”) and Bassett (an exercise science professor at the University of Tennessee) teach readers how to increase steps, suggest ways to incorporate walking into a daily routine, and offer fun ways to take the activity further, via walking groups, races and Nordic walking.

Fenton says it’s not always the ambitious hikes that help people become more physically active, but incorporating walking into every day. “Small changes,” he says, “matter.”

The book also includes a weekly log, warm-up exercises, and charts for estimating speed and calorie burn. Inspirational mini-bios tell of people who have gotten in shape and lost weight walking.

“We begin with the simple notion of getting off the couch,” says Fenton, “but by the end, it’s about trying to be a positive force in the community” by pushing for issues such as walkable neighborhoods.

Price: $12.95, available at bookstores.