Jimmy had just moved from New Jersey to the west side of Manhattan. I was already encamped in a bachelor pad on the "very fashionable upper east side" of Manhattan. I was all of 26 years old. Jimmy and I had gone to grammar school together, high school, and with a bunch of guys, joined the Marine Corps.

He was the captain of our basketball team, and I played football, baseball and track. Not very well. They nicknamed me "Mercury Mike"...thats how fast I was as an end. No one ever knew how much I hated getting tackled!

We were in great shape we thought, until we got to boot camp in the Marines. If only my body could stay the way it was when I got discharged!

After the Marines, we both went off to different colleges, and lost touch. I had heard he moved to New York, and it was only a matter of time before I expected him to call. He would more than likely ask me to set him up with a date.

"Hey Mike, how the heck are you?" After the small talk was over, he got to the point. "Do you exercise anymore?"

"Nah, who needs it. Plus who's got the time...I'm out every night!" (Just thinking about it now gets me tired :)

"I took a shower this morning"...he went on..."and as I was washing myself, I realized that I couldn't make a muscle in my butt! I felt just like a girl!"

I instinctively reached to my back pocket and felt my right cheek. My God, I couldn't make it hard either.

"Hey what say we meet in Central Park tomorrow morning and start jogging?"

That was the beginning of my lifelong habit of jogging/running/walking. I have run in three NYC marathons, the last one being in 1989. After working out for 7 months to get in shape for the race, I got the flu two-weeks prior to the event, and could only finish 17 miles. "That's it, I quit marathons!"

However, I've never given up my favorite exercise...walking!

After going through the more than 40 books on diet and exercise for this week's issue of HealthNewsDigest.com, one book in particular caught my interest, "the Step Diet." Here is an excellent book for people who hate to exercise. You can and will, keep in excellent shape by getting in the habit of walking using this intelligent and well planned guide, published by Workman Publishing of New York.

Q. "What if I don't like to diet?" A. "You don't have to join a gym or wear spandex to succeed at the Step Diet. You just add steps to your day. We will give you tips throughout the book to help you increase your movement each day, and your step counter will give you "real time" feedback on how well you are accomplishing this goal."

Ah yes, the book comes with your own step counter! This should get you walking just for the fun of it. So, this morning (Sunday, January 2, 2005) I clipped the step counter on my dungarees and started walking from 72nd street in Manhattan, north up the East Side Drive to 96th street. I stopped in the pet shop on the way, and the grocery store on the way back. The Step counter read 7,065 steps, which translates into 2.67 miles, and a loss of 392.5 calories! I am a 6 foot, 180 pound male, but the book gives scales and charts for male and female all ages and weights.

For years, I have always experienced stress relief from walking, and fresh oxygen is always invigorating. Let your arms swing freely, and you will notice, as I have, that it tightens your waist and helps remove "love handles."

It's all explained in chapter 3, - "The 2,000 Step Difference."

Some Highlights:

* Escaping the Trap of "Do or Die - Diets"

* Remember Small Changes Work

* Don't Forget the Feet!

* Safety Tips When Walking

I recently asked a professional trainer "What's the best exercise for tightening your butt?" She said, "Keep tensing and untensing it!" Well, I guess Jimmy was right.

You may want to start your own "walking club" with friends and colleagues. Hmmmmm...maybe HealthNewsDigest.com should start one...

Michael J. McCurdy

Founder/Publisher

© 2005 HealthNewsDigest.com