Is walking your favored workout? If you easily log 30 to 40 minutes at a time, try raising the bar:

Step It Up. Use a pedometer to measure how many steps you usually take in a day, including your regular walk. Add 200 to 300 steps a day each week until you meet a daily goal of 10,000. Walking for longer is best for those who want to lose weight. But once you're fit, you need to also add intensity to your workout. Try the tips below.

1. Change Gears. Incorporate intervals by walking for a block quickly, then two blocks slowly, and repeat several times. Or walk quickly for 2 minutes, then more slowly for 2 minutes. Gradually add faster intervals interspersed with shorter, slower ones. Important: Base intervals on how you feel to avoid overdoing it. If you're winded and really have to push yourself or you feel heavy and tired, you may need to slow down.

2. Add Your Arms. Try Nordic walking poles to work more muscles and burn extra calories. The poles are similar to ski poles with rubber tips. They use your arms to keep your body moving forward. Although walking with the poles revs up heart rate and uses more oxygen, Nordic walkers report they feel as if they're doing less work.

3. Head for the Hills. Walking up hills is a great way to tone legs and do more work in less time. You can also vary how hard you work by walking up them more slowly or quickly. Not a hill in sight? Try stairs. One study showed that 11 minutes of stair climbing is equal to more than 30 minutes of walking. 

4. Walk with a buddy or two or three! SMART Fitness Studio suggests GirlTrek walking group whose mission is to encourage women to use walking as a practical first step to inspire healthly living, families, and communities. Find a GirlTrek member to walk with or join GirlTrek and start your own walking group in your neighborhood!