BODY WATCH : TIDBIT : Walk Your Way to Fitness

Everybody’s doing it. But exactly how big is walking in the United States?

* In 1994, the number of fitness walkers increased 15% to 35.8 million; of that, 2.7 million logged 1,000 miles or more.

* 6 million people joined the fitness walking ranks last year.

* Since 1987, participation from the 18-and-younger set has increased 83%.

Source: Walking Magazine, August 1995/American Sports Data.