Walk every day

For nearly a decade public-health experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have urged Americans to take 10,000 steps — the equivalent of about 5 miles — every day. But we're falling woefully short. The typical American woman takes just 5,210 steps — roughly 2.5 miles — a day (men take around 7,000), according to Catrine Tudor-Locke, PhD, an associate professor and director of the Walking Behavior Laboratory at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Upping your daily mileage can boost more than just weight loss — at least that's what a group of Danish researchers recently concluded. Their study, published this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that when a group of healthy men reduced their number of daily steps from 6,203 to 1,344, within two weeks the subjects' insulin levels rose by nearly 60 percent, putting them at risk for diabetes. Likewise, abdominal fat increased by 7 percent even though subjects didn't gain any weight.

If you need extra motivation, consider investing in a basic pedometer — available for around $25 in athletic stores — to help keep tabs on exactly how many steps you are or aren't taking. Then work in activity by choosing a lunch spot that's a few blocks away instead of eating at the restaurant across the street; building social visits around a walk in the park; visiting the museum more often; and thinking twice before you drive a few blocks to a friend's house. Or plan a vacation using the America's Walking list of the most walkable cities (pbs.org/americaswalking/travel/travelmost.html).

Make time for yoga

Here's a convincing reason to finally check out yoga: It can help you walk faster. Researchers at Temple University in Philadelphia examined the gait and postural stability of 24 women enrolled in a yoga class designed specifically for women 65 and older. At the end of the nine-week program, participants had faster strides, increased flexibility in the lower extremities, and better balance, which can reduce the risk of falling.

“Doing yoga promotes physiological and psychological well-being, which lay down a wellness foundation as we age,” says Roberta Newton, PhD, PT, professor of physical therapy at Temple and one of the study's researchers. She recommends Iyengar, in which practitioners often use props — such as rolled-up towels, foam blocks, and straps — to move comfortably into poses, which they hold for a minute or longer. Particularly good for beginners, Iyengar teaches physical and kinesthetic awareness.

To prep for your first class, try practicing a calming breathing technique called abdominal or “belly” breathing. Lie on your back and place your hands on your abdomen. Inhale and expand your belly, making it full and round. Focus on expanding your abdomen in all directions. As you exhale, completely empty your lungs and your belly so your abdomen becomes concave. Then slow down the pace and find a comfortable rhythm, breathing in for five counts and out for five counts. After a few breaths, try to make the exhalation last one or two seconds longer than the inhalation. Repeat up to seven times. New to yoga? Log onto yogafinder.com to find a class that suits your style, or try an at-home video such as Yoga for Beginners (Element, 2007).

Writer Dana Sullivan lives in Reno, Nevada, and is currently boosting the number of steps she takes every day by training to walk the Seattle Marathon in November.