The Reader: Diana Pisciotta, 30, wrote to Cooking Light asking for ways to add strength and variety to her five-mile walks.

The Expert: Liz Neporent, author of Fitness Walking for Dummies

Before: "I love my daily walks, but I have osteoporosis in my family, so I know I should lift weights to strengthen my bones," Pisciotta says. "Plus, I know I'm not getting the same benefits I used to, since I've walked the same distance and speed for 10 years."

The Workout: Walking is the preferred workout of one-third of Americans. But for those who do the same routine over time, Pisciotta is right. You reach a plateau and stop progressing to higher fitness levels.

To rev up Pisciotta's routine, Neporent created this 35-minute Walk Circuit that can be done alone or in conjunction with Pisciotta's, or anyone's, regular walk. It includes resistance moves for her upper and lower body, plus abdominal and back exercises.

Her results: Diana Pisciotta folded this workout into her regular walk, completing the exercises with walking breaks in between. She found that the moves raised the workout's intensity level and provided a more challenging routine. "I wanted to keep my heart rate up between the exercises, so I pushed myself to walk at a much faster speed than I normally would." After doing the workout the first time, she could feel muscle-building benefits. "I felt like I had used muscles I don't typically engage in my walk," she says. Pisciotta loved the simple, equipment-free moves and was confident she would have them memorized after just a few more sessions. She also says she's more likely to stick to them since they're incorporated into her workout rather than tacked on at the end. "By then, I just lose interest," Pisciotta admits. The one move she'll keep doing at home is the Stair Step: "My apartment is five flights up, so I'm going to take two steps at a time and maximize on the lower body strengthening every day."

Martica Heaner, M.A., M.Ed., is an exercise physiologist and nutritionist based in New York City. She writes for the New York Times, Prevention, and Self.