Walking is a great exercise for getting in shape, losing weight and achieving a whole host of major health benefits. It's a low impact workout that doesn't require any special equipment, training or expertise. You can do it just about anywhere - there's no need to visit the gym - which means that there are no expensive monthly membership fees either. You can slot it into your daily schedule whenever it's most convenient for you. Do it in one session or break it into a number of shorter sessions between other activities. It's entirely up to you.

One piece of essential equipment for walking is a good comfortable pair of shoes. If your shoes give you blisters or cause you discomfort, then it will be difficult to motivate yourself to keep up with your walking workout program. So be sure that you have a good fitting, comfortable pair. If you like, you could get some of the latest designs of fitness shoes which help to raise the amount of work that your lower body muscles perform whilst walking normally.

There are a variety of different makes on the market - Reeboks Easy Tones, Skechers Shape Ups, Fit flops exercise sandals and Masai Barefoot Technology are amongst the best known and most popular - but there are more brands appearing on the market all the time. They do have some slight variances, but the common aspect seems to be a specially designed sole which boosts the amount of work done by your leg and butt muscles. This boosts the effectiveness of your workout and helps you in getting the maximum return from your walking exercise program.

The majority of health professionals recommend a target of 10,000 steps daily in order to obtain the numerous health benefits achievable. A lot of people who walk for exercise find that a pedometer is a useful motivational aid which encourages them to increase their step count and get closer to the target figure. Pedometers are inexpensive these days but, if you think that having one would help you to stay motivated you should be sure to get a good quality one.

A recent study found that a high percentage of pedometers were inaccurate - by as much as 50% in some cases. It seemed that inaccurate pedometers tended to overestimate the number of steps - meaning that someone who was walking for 5,000 paces daily might be under the false impression that they were reaching their 10,000 step target. This is because the cheaper pedometers generally use hairspring technology which is factory calibrated during the manufacturing process. These generally become less and less accurate as the pedometer ages - with an ever increasing tendency to overestimate the number of steps taken being in evidence.

Better models employ coiled spring technology and dual accelerometer sensors which means that they have greater accuracy, a longer lifespan and that they can be carried in your pocket or a bag instead of being worn on your belt. An Omron pedometer typically has an accuracy of plus or minus 5%. Other quality brands include Yamax, Taneka and New Lifestyles.

Should you wish to find out just how accurate your pedometer is, there are two very simple tests which you can perform. The first is to simply count out 100 steps and compare it with what your pedometer has recorded. The second test method is to take a note of the reading on your pedometer just before you first sit down - at your desk at work perhaps - and then to check it again after being seated for thirty minutes or so. If it rises significantly due to your normal movements whilst seated then it will overestimate your step count.

Nowadays, most pedometers are of the digital variety. They usually have a memory and you can generally see your results for 7 days - useful if you want to monitor your progress. Some even allow you to load your results into your computer using a USB connection so that you can monitor your results over time. You can choose how your results are displayed as well. Choose from the number of steps, the distance covered or the number of calories burned - whichever helps you to keep motivated.

Learn how Fitflops exercise shoes can help to increase the effectiveness of your walking fitness routine. Try using an Omron pedometer to monitor your progress and help you to stay motivated.