Walking for exercise is a purposeful, brisk walk specifically designed for the purpose of improving health. It is one of the best and cheapest forms of exercise. If you want to improve your general health and keep fit, or if you want to reduce your weight, walking is a good place to start.

Walking keeps you fit and helps you take off extra weight and keep it off. It's cheap, it's simple and almost anybody can do it. Walking has a multitude of health benefits for everyone. Here are some of its many benefits:

• Helps reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke

• Lowers high blood pressure

• Helps reduce weight and body fat

• Helps reduce risk of some cancers

• Reduces anxiety and depression and improves your mood and mental well-being

• Helps control joint swelling and pain from arthritis

• Gives you more energy

• Helps you sleep better

• Helps you look better

• Improves bone density and helps reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis

• Helps those people who are recovering from a period of ill-health

If you want to feel great, have more energy and improve your overall health, take a walk. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise and you can do it almost anywhere, anytime, and for free.

Along with its benefits to the heart, walking improves circulation, helps breathing, combats depression, bolsters the immune system, helps prevent osteoporosis, helps control weight and helps prevent and control diabetes. It's a gentle exercise and its suitable if you are recovering from heart trouble, a stroke or other illness. It helps the total circulation of blood throughout the body, and thus has a direct effect on your overall feeling of health.

Remember, if you have a medical condition, are overweight, over 40 years of age or haven't exercised regularly for a long time, check with your doctor before you start any type of exercise program.