I've always believed there's a sport for everyone. Find it, and you're home free when it comes to living an active lifestyle. Years ago, I stumbled onto race walking, an Olympic sport unknown to me — no TV coverage; see why below — before I went to a local spa for a weekend of sun and silliness with some girlfriends.

It just so happened that Olympic champion race walker Augie Hirt was giving a workshop that weekend. It changed my life. Before Augie, I was a runner — a slow, lumbering, back-of-the-pack runner. When I discovered his sport, I found mine.

As a runner, I felt like a buffalo. When I race walk, I feel like a jaguar — sleek, nimble, vibrant. I love the hip wiggle, the heel strike, the way you straighten your front leg as you stride forward, twisting your torso from side to side. Yes, it looks goofy. So what? Ever watched snowshoe baseball? "Wear a hat," I tell friends I've taught to race walk, "and sunglasses."

Is it better than running? I think so, but you can't tell that to a runner. Race walking works your lower body and your upper body, and it doesn't pound your knee joints the way running does. It also works miracles on that area at the back of your thighs where cottage cheese tends to accumulate.

I can't teach you how to race walk in this column — it's best to learn and practice with a human guide — but I do want to tell you some things you can do to take your own walking program to a higher, more athletic level:

SHORTER, FASTER. Any style of walking is OK when you're just getting started, but there comes a time when you need to add some zip to your step. So that means taking longer strides, right? Wrong. Take shorter, quicker ones. That's the way to go faster.

KEEP YOUR HEAD UP. This small change will make a big difference. Walking with your eyes and head down is a common mistake. It strains your back and shoulder muscles, and you'll tire out quickly because it hinders efficient breathing. You are remembering to breathe, aren't you?

MOVE YOUR ARMS. You'll be surprised how much more powerful your stride gets once you bring your arms into play. Don't hunch your shoulders or tense your arms. Just allow them to swing in a relaxed and natural way, without crossing the midline in front. Keep your elbows tucked into your sides, arms bent at about a 90-degree angle. Don't clench your fists. Keep your hands loose. Feel and move like an athlete.

WORK THOSE HIPS. Someday you may want to find your own Augie Hirt-style coach and learn the official race walking technique: no bent knees, one foot on the ground at all times. Meanwhile, for power walking, allow your hips to extend forward with each stride. As your right leg comes forward, so should your right hip bone, in a natural rotation. Then your left. Race walkers get a lot of speed, forward thrust and funny looks from this exaggerated hip wiggle. It takes practice and patience, but once you get it, it's yours forever.

ENGAGE YOUR GLUTES. As you walk, practice somatics. Be aware of engaging your abdominal muscles and your glutes. Think about urging them forward under your hips, causing a bit of a pelvic tilt. Walking this way — head up, stomach pulled in, glutes engaged — is a fantastic way to help tighten those areas that tend to get loose and flabby as we age.

GO FOR THE ROLL. There's no wrong way to walk, but the right way, for maximum efficiency and power, involves walking heel-ball-toe. Focus on landing on your heel, your toes flexed to the sky, then roll through the foot, using the big toe to give your body a powerful push forward. That way all your leg muscles are awake and involved. Walking this way definitely makes for a better workout, but don't overdo it. Increase your time and intensity gradually, or your shins may start to talk back to you.

So please, Dear Reader, find your own sport — or grab your hat and sunglasses and try mine. You'll find everything you need to get started at racewalking.org and the YouTube race walking videos are good, too.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! I'M JUST SAYING ...

"If God had wanted people to run, he wouldn't have invented race walking." — Rick Williams

Marilynn Preston — healthy lifestyle expert, well-being coach and Emmy-winning producer — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She has a website, marilynnpreston.com, and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com. She also produces EnExTV, a digital reincarnation of her award-winning TV series about sports, fitness and adventure, for kids of all ages, at youtube.com/EnExTV and facebook.com/EnExTV. To find out more about Preston and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Eugene Kim