Aches and pains -- tell them to take a hike. How? By literally taking one.

The innate act of walking actually quells aches and pains rather than aggravating them, said Linda Eck, chief physical therapist at University Health Services.

The sedentary, couch-potato lifestyle can cause stiff joints and muscles, and walking helps to loosen them up, helping to alleviate the cause of aches and pains. Additionally, walking helps to release endorphins into the body, helping to alleviate the aches and pains themselves, she said.

Assuming one is not doing so like a caveman, walking also helps to improve posture. Also, assuming one is not doing so alone, walking also helps to improve social well being, she said.

Improved cardiovascular health is another in a laundry list of reasons why abandoning the couch and walking is a good idea.

However, before embarking on the sidewalk, students may want to take a look at their footwear, as shoes ideal for loafing are not ideal for walking, said Mike Morse, professor of kinesiology.

Sandals offer zero support and shoes that do not fit the mechanics of someone's feet are not good either. Students should know the shape of the bottoms of their feet in a weight-bearing position before buying shoes, Morse said, so they can select a pair with a sole that fits the shape.

To determine the shape of the bottoms of their feet in a weight-bearing position, students can stand as they normally would with one bare foot on a piece of paper and have a friend trace it. If their foot has more of an hourglass shape, they should buy shoes with hourglass-shaped soles. If their foot has less of an hourglass shape, they should buy shoes with less hourglass-shaped soles, Morse said.

A decent pair of running shoes is fine for walking and will last three to six months, or 300 to 500 miles, with heavy usage.

To reap the health benefits of walking, it is important for students to walk in their exercise-benefit zone, Morse said. Students are walking in their exercise-benefit zone when it is a little difficult for them to carry on a conversation. If they can carry on a conversation without trouble, they are not walking fast enough, and if they cannot get a word off their tongue, they are walking too fast, he said.

carry on a conversation. If they can carry on a conversation without trouble, they are not walking fast enough, and if they cannot get a word off their tongue, they are walking too fast, he said.

Ideally, students should walk for 30 minutes or more in their exercise-benefit zone three times a week. About 100 calories are burned per mile walked in the exercise-benefit zone, Morse said, adding that fat only starts burning off after about 30 minutes.

Students looking for a good walk can try one through the White Course of the Penn State Golf Courses, which Morse recommends. Starting out from behind Rec Hall, students should go left toward the traffic light. From the light, students should go right across Atherton Street and straight through the parking lot to a white golf shed about the size of a two-car garage. From the shed, go straight onto the trail and bear to the left over a wooden footbridge. From the bridge, students should follow the trail around the perimeter of the White Course, eventually ending up near the Nittany Lion Inn, Morse said. Keep an eye out for wildlife, as students have witnessed a white-tailed hawk fly off with a squirrel in the past.

Students looking for a good walk can also just forego riding the bus as Amanda French (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) does.

"I've only taken it once, because I was with somebody else and they didn't want to walk," she said.

French estimates that she walks at least two hours a day, seven days a week, between walking to and from class and downtown, around downtown and back. And while she may not witness white-tailed hawks, she does discover new scenery.

"I find a lot of new buildings I didn't know existed," she said.