CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Dear Cindy,

I am 37 and started a walking program about three weeks ago but I've decided that living in West Virginia makes losing weight difficult. I like to walk but going uphill leaves me completely out of breath so I have to slow up my pace. I live in a rural area and don't have a track near me or I would use it. I am walking three to four hours a week. My goal is to get rid of the fat around my middle and top of my hips, but it is not working. Any advice? -- Sandra

Dear Sandra,

Actually, this may come as a surprise, but I honestly feel our natural environment gives us a distinct advantage when it comes to creating a great outdoor workout. The West Virginia hills have built-in high-intensity efforts that turn a steady-state walk into an interval training session.

That's good because interval training -- alternating between short bursts of high-intensity efforts and longer periods of low- to moderate-intensity efforts -- is one of the best ways to tip the scales in your favor. Steady-state exercise can do lots of things, but will never help you lose weight as efficiently as interval training.

First and foremost, to lose the excess fat around the middle and hips, there must be a calorie deficit. You need to be eating fewer calories than you are expending each day. Specifically, to lose 1 pound of fat you must burn 3,500 more calories more than you consume. Physical activity burns calories. So if you decrease the amount of calories you eat, you should be able to lose weight.

Having said that, as you decrease calories, it is extremely important you choose quality foods that will supply your body with high-quality fuel for your activity.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Dear Cindy,

I am 37 and started a walking program about three weeks ago but I've decided that living in West Virginia makes losing weight difficult. I like to walk but going uphill leaves me completely out of breath so I have to slow up my pace. I live in a rural area and don't have a track near me or I would use it. I am walking three to four hours a week. My goal is to get rid of the fat around my middle and top of my hips, but it is not working. Any advice? -- Sandra

Dear Sandra,

Actually, this may come as a surprise, but I honestly feel our natural environment gives us a distinct advantage when it comes to creating a great outdoor workout. The West Virginia hills have built-in high-intensity efforts that turn a steady-state walk into an interval training session.

That's good because interval training -- alternating between short bursts of high-intensity efforts and longer periods of low- to moderate-intensity efforts -- is one of the best ways to tip the scales in your favor. Steady-state exercise can do lots of things, but will never help you lose weight as efficiently as interval training.

First and foremost, to lose the excess fat around the middle and hips, there must be a calorie deficit. You need to be eating fewer calories than you are expending each day. Specifically, to lose 1 pound of fat you must burn 3,500 more calories more than you consume. Physical activity burns calories. So if you decrease the amount of calories you eat, you should be able to lose weight.

Having said that, as you decrease calories, it is extremely important you choose quality foods that will supply your body with high-quality fuel for your activity.

Watching your total calorie intake and dedicating three to four hours a week to physical activity, should definitely be enough to whittle your middle. The trick is to make those hours count by making your walk doable yet intense enough to produce results.

Start by looking at the hills around you as a tool that will help you lose weight. It is OK to get winded or out of breath when you walk uphill. See the top of every hill as a victory and know that the flat area or downhill that follows gives your body time to recover.

Don't think about just putting time in on the road. Instead, think in terms of packing more punch into your exercise hours. Those hills become your friend when you swap out a low- to moderate-intensity walk for one that mixes a few high-intensity hills into your workout. Raising your heart rate by climbing hills might leave you uncomfortable and breathless for a bit, but it will also rev up your metabolism and burn calories at a higher rate. Furthermore, breathing hard is a core strengthener that is great for your middle.

I love walking for many reasons. Most anyone can do it and each has the ability to set a desired pace from start to finish. What may be high intensity for one person may not for another so simply adjust the speed to change your intensity.

Also, you can walk when it is convenient for you, alone or with partners, close to home or in a favorite scenic area. Whether you are hitting the pavement or walking on soft grass, it helps build and maintain bone density because it is a weight-bearing activity. Best of all, it requires no equipment other than a supportive pair of shoes.

Instead of a monotonous walk, create your own adventure by stirring up some intensity with intervals. You'll soon notice the hills have to work a little harder to make you breathless.

Embrace the natural outdoors and use the hills to your advantage -- the more you climb up, the more you'll slim down.

Cindy Boggs, fitness presenter, author and Activate America director, has been an ACE-certified instructor/trainer since 1989. Send your questions about fitness, training or health to her at YMCA of Kanawha Valley, 100 YMCA Drive, Charleston, WV 25311, or e-mail cindys...@aol.com. Look for Cindy's award-winning fitness advice book, CindySays ... "You Can Find Health in Your Hectic World," on her Web site, www.cindysays.com, or contact the YMCA at 304-340-3527.