By Tatiana With Ribadeneira, Globe Staff, 05/10/98

SOUTH BOSTON -- Terry Walsh whizzed to the front of the pack, walking the walk and talking it up.

``Focus on posture: Chest up, abs in,'' said Walsh. ``I want to see those arms pumping. Heads up.''

The L-Street Walking Club was off and running, er, walking. And they were booking.

``People think you're just walking, but it's more than that,'' said Barbara Bowe, a South Boston nurse who's improved her time in one year from 20-minute to 14-minute miles. ``Try it and tell me it's not a workout. We sometimes have runners and marathoners come out with us and we generally bury them.''

That must be why 32.5 million Americans walked for fitness last year, up 40 percent from a decade ago, according to American Sports Data. Walking and hiking are the nation's leading outdoor activities, with more than 133 million participants, according to the Outdoor Recreation Coalition of America.

``The thing about walking is that it is something that almost everybody can do and requires no special equipment,'' said Philip Hait, of the Walk 'n Mass Volkssport Club, which has more than 300 members in Eastern Massachusetts and hosts walking, bicyling, and swimming events.

``Everybody is trying to be health-conscious, and one of the most easily affordable and easily attained ways to get healthy is walking,'' said Hait. ``You can fit it in every schedule, whether it's 15 minutes at a time or two hours on the weekend.''

Indeed, the surgeon general recommended in a 1996 report on physical activity and health that Americans walk 30 minutes six to seven days a week to improve long-term health and well-being. Research shows that walking improves cardiovascular endurance and reduces the risk for cardiovascular disease. It also increases bone density and helps control weight.

Marianne Kelly can feel the benefits. Both her blood pressure and cholesterol are lower than when she began walking five years ago with the L-Street Club, a program of the James Michael Curley Recreation Center, and she lost weight, too.

``I was getting tired of doing the same thing all the time,'' said Kelly, 58, who had been doing aerobics, but now walks 10- or 11-minute miles. ``I wanted to do something outside in the summer. Little did I know I would also do it winter, spring, and fall. It's fun, and I'm in better shape than I ever had been.''

Mark Fenton, editor at large of Walking magazine and competitor in the 1984 and 1988 Olympic trials for the 50-kilometer race-walking event, said, ``The ones who say it is not a good workout have not gone for a 4 1/2-mile walk in one hour, broke a sweat, and realized that you can burn 400-500 calories easy with less pounding than higher impact activities like running.''

There are different kinds of walking, of course, and the harder you work, the more benefits you reap. Even casual strolling is good for you. Sedentary lifestyles contribute to the deaths of 250,000 Americans annually, according to Fenton.

You are working hard when breathing is labored and interrupts conversation. But you should be able to talk and should not be gasping and wheezing when finished, Fenton said. You go faster by taking quicker steps and moving your bent arms in an arc pattern from waist to chest. How fast can you go? Fenton said the world record for the 50-kilometer, or 31 miles, race-walk is 3:37:41. That's an average pace of 7 minutes per mile.

``Walking will surely soon get more respect. People have to see that walking is not just grandmothers going around the mall,'' said Ken Mattsson, a walking coach and member of the New England Walkers, a race-walking club. ``Walking is to running like swimming the breaststroke is to swimming the crawl. It is more technical and a little bit slower, but it is still working hard. You have to think to do it right.''

Fenton said nearly 70 percent of walkers are women. Men tend to be ``encumbered by a win-or-lose mentality in exercising. . . . Women don't have to be competitive to call it a workout.''

More men, however, do seem to be taking it up.

John Donovan, 37, decided to join the L-Street walkers two weeks ago. His wife, Nancy, has belonged for a year. On Monday, his second time out with them, he had trouble keeping up. But he's sticking to it.

``This is harder than running, to be honest,'' said John, who is accustomed to running four times a week.

If you're just starting out, take it easy, said Brandy Cruthird, owner and instructor of Body by Brandy in Dudley Square. Make sure you stretch before and after, drink plenty of water, and wear the right shoes. They should have a low, beveled heel and be flexible, she said.

Then, get out there and do your body good.

Want to know more? Free copies of Walking magazine's walking tip sheet are available by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Walking Tip Sheet, 9-11 Harcourt St., Boston, MA 02116.

- Gently contract your stomach muscles to flatten your lower back.

- To go faster, concentrate on quick steps instead of longer ones.

- Land on your heel and roll your foot from heel to toe, pushing off forcefully with your toes.

- For a speed boost, bend your elbows to 90 degrees; swing your hands from your waistband to chest height.

Source: Walking Magazine.

Upcoming

- ``Memorable Women,'' a Mother's Day walking tour, 1-2:30 p.m., today, Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., CAMBRIDGE. Meet at steps to Story Chapel; $8. Call 547-7105.

- Walking Tour of Historic Central Hill Neighborhood, 3-5 p.m., today, meet at the Central Library, 79 Highland Ave. Suggested donation $5.

- ``A Walk through Mount Auburn History,'' 90 minutes, 10 a.m. on May 16 and 2 p.m. on May 17, Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn St., CAMBRIDGE. Meet near Story Chapel; $8. Call 547-7105.

- ``Ideas Behind the Design,'' free walking tour, 1-3 p.m., May 24, Arnold Arboretum, Hunnewell Building, JAMAICA PLAIN. Sponsored by Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, 566-1689.

- Freedom Trail Walk, free, 10-kilometer walk starts at 9:30 a.m., May 25. Meet at Boston National Historic Park Visitor Center, 15 State St., BOSTON. Call Chris Mellen with Walk 'n Mass Volkssport Club, 978-649-633.

- Introduction to Race Walking, 9:30 a.m. to noon, May 30. Meet at Fresh Pond Mall, CAMBRIDGE; $15 preregistration, $20 day of event. Call Ken Mattsson, 576-9331.

- ``Everybody Walk Your Body,'' 10 a.m.-2 p.m., walk begins at noon, May 31. Franklin Park, BOSTON. Meet near Shattuck Hospital side of Franklin Park, BOSTON. Presented by the city of Boston and Bodies by Brandy. Call Bodies by Brandy 442-2187.

- Walking tours of historic Beacon Hill, Saturdays, May-October. Sponsored by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, the $10 guided tours start at the Harrison Gray Otis House, 141 Cambridge St., 11 a.m. Tours are limited to 15 people; reservations recommended. Call 227-3956.

Workouts

- Fitcorp Walking Club, 12:15-1 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays until June 17. Meet at Fitcorp, 1 Beacon St., BOSTON. Free for members and nonmembers. Call 448-9797.

- L-Street Walking Club at the Curley Community Center, 1663 Columbia Road, SOUTH BOSTON. 6-7:30 p.m. Mondays (flat course, 6-7 miles) and Wednesdays (hills, 6-7 miles), and 8:30-10:30 a.m. Saturdays (8-15 miles), $25 for 10 weeks. Call Margie Shaughnessy at 635-5104.

- New England Walkers Race Walking Workouts, 6:45-8:15 p.m. Wednesdays, MIT outdoor track, CAMBRIDGE. Free. Call Ken Mattsson, 576-9331.

Web sites

- Walk 'n Mass Volkssport Club, http://www.ava.org/clubs/walknmass < - American Volkssport Association, http://www.ava.org < - WalkWays Productions, walking coach Ken Mattsson, http://world.std.com/tildemattsson/walkways/< - The Mining Company Walking pages, information for all kinds of walking, http://walking.miningco.com/ < - USA Track & Field, race walking homepage, http://racewalk.com< - Walking Connection, an alliance of people worldwide who like to walk, hike and travel, http://www.walkingconnection.com/<