It's one of the biggest turnoffs for people trying to lose weight - that word "exercise".

Sorry folks - diet and exercise DO go together. You have little to no chance of achieving your weight-loss goals without a balanced program combining the two.

But hey, that doesn't mean you have to get all sweaty at the neighborhood gym or jog for miles.

All you need to do is walk.

You're probably doing some walking already. Like from the house to the car, from the car park to your workstation, around the supermarket and so on.

I just need you to do MORE of it. Say a measly 10 minutes a day on top of the walking you're doing already. That's right, just 10 minutes around the block, down the street and back, or in the nearest park. You can also take a 10-minute walk during your lunch break. It doesn't matter. Add it up and you've got 70 minutes of extra walking in a week - which will burn off more than half a pound of fat.

You'll also give your heart some much needed exercise. After all, your heart is a muscle - the most important muscle in the body - and it needs to be exercised.

This gentle extra walking will help make your diet more effective. And when I say diet, I don't mean some box of miracle weight-loss pills in lieu of a good meal. I mean a sensible, balanced program of eating from all the major food groups. The kind of diet that has you eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and moderate amounts of low-fat protein.

After you've been doing the 10-minute walking thing for a week or two you might notice something: you want to walk longer. That's great! The U.S. Surgeon General's office says if you can manage 30 minutes of brisk walking (or other form of moderate activity) five times a week you'll reap huge health benefits aside from losing even more pounds.

Don't let cold winter weather be an excuse for you NOT to walk. Bundle up and keep walking. If it's really too cold outside, do circuits at the mall or shopping center or use a major public sports facility with an indoor walking track.

It's no accident that walking is the first exercise program most doctors are happy to recommend to their patients, particularly those who are totally out of shape and haven't exercised in years. As well as being less of a shock to a sedentary system, walking is a low-impact activity that spares your joints the pounding they'd receive from jogging - a very important consideration especially as we age.

Walk your way to fitness and a toned new you - it's the best exercise to lose weight!