The AARP Bulletin turned to Upstate's chief of geriatrics, Sharon Brangman MD for a story about the importance of walking called "The Only Exercise You'll Ever Need." The article says walking may be the single best and easiest exercise you can do to improve your health this year. It mentions the benefits of protecting the brain against memory loss, of cutting the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Then it quotes Brangman about how to get started.

"Don't set a really large goal. Set a small one first, like walking one block. Then gradually add on to that."

Brangman goes on to tell the publication: "I've had women in their 70s who tell me they feel sluggish and can't lose weight even though they eat like a bird." Once they start walking daily, "they sleep better, feel better and even lose some weight. One woman told me, 'I don't know why I didn't do this before.' "

Read the article in the January-February AARP Bulletin