10,000 steps to a healthier you

Washington

CROSSFIT, Insanity, Pure Core. Every year, new hard-core players and routines make a splash on the fitness stage.

But truthfully, they stick with only about 20 per cent of the population - those who are already fitness converts.

How about the rest - the 80 per cent of Americans who don't get enough exercise? Are they really going to go from couch to Insanity and stick with it?

Not likely.

Instead, suggested the US surgeon-general recently, they should start walking, because walking helps reduce and treat chronic illnesses, which affect about half of all adult Americans.

You have heard it before: Moderate physical exercise helps prevent and reduce the severity of chronic disease, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, and also improves mood and mobility. Walking - a form of exercise that is accessible to almost everyone …