When we think about taking our medicine, we don't usually think about taking a walk around the block. But doctors are trying to get the word out that exercise is medicine, and participating in regular physical activity is important to health.

Dr. David N. Westerdahl of the Cleveland Clinic in Weston specializes in sports medicine, and he doesn't mean just taking care of athletes. Doctors in the sports medicine field want to encourage all of us to be more active. That doesn't necessarily mean running a marathon. A regular walk will do.

``Exercise truly is medicine,'' he said. ``It can help you feel better, it can help treat a variety of medical conditions and also help prevent certain forms of cancer and other disease.''

Westerdahl is a staff physician for the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. He is the director for sports medicine at Florida Atlantic University and serves as team physician for the Sagemont School in Weston.

We talked to him about the importance of exercise, how sedentary people should get started and who really needs to check with their doctors before starting an exercise program.

Q: Why is it important to exercise?

A: Exercise has been shown to reduce all causes of mortality, especially coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease is a major health cost to our society and it results in years of life lost as well as loss of quality of life. Even mild amounts of exercise can help promote a general sense of well-being and improved mood. It can also increase one's self-esteem. In these stressful times, it can help relieve stress. Exercise has also been shown to reduce certain forms of cancer, like breast cancer and colon cancer. Also it can help treat high blood pressure and diabetes.

The misconception is that unless you're out jogging at a seven- or eight-minute per mile pace, you're not exercising. That's not the case. We know more and more that mild levels of exercise, like just walking at a leisurely place for 45 to 60 minutes most days, can help reduce the risk or coronary artery disease and other health problems. That can be a fun outing of walking with a friend or walking the dog.

Q: We've all heard that it's best to check with your doctor before starting an exercise program, but few people do. For whom is this recommendation most important?

A: Men over 45 and women over 55, if they're healthy. If men and women have another underlying chronic condition, like high blood pressure or high cholesterol or maybe they smoke, those are considered cardiac risk factors. It's a good idea, for anything over walking at a leisurely pace, to see your primary care physician. An individual does not necessarily need to undergo heavy stress testing before starting an exercise program. They really just need to make sure they're not at any greater risk based on a hidden or unknown medical condition.

Q: What are the most common injuries of sedentary people who become active too quickly or too vigorously?

A: Generally it's an overuse type of injury: muscle strains, muscle sprains, joint aches and pains such as a flare-up of mild arthritis in a weight-bearing joint like the spine or the knee.

Q: How can people avoid some of those injuries?

A: The best way is to gradually reintroduce your body to exercise. Don't exercise on consecutive days. Also, cross-train so if you jog or walk on one day, consider doing something lower-impact like biking or swimming on the next.

Q: What kinds of pain should you be concerned by?

A: If you just have some mild muscle aches and soreness that last for 24 or 48 hours it's not a big deal. If you have joint swelling or if you have painful range of motion, see your physician sooner. If you've got lingering pain lasting beyond three to five days and not getting better, you should definitely see your physician.

Q: Why is it that even after you've been exercising for months you still experience muscle pain in some areas?

A: It's much harder to retrain muscle that's been lost due to deconditioning than it is to lose the muscle. If we take a week off from exercise, it takes us about two to three weeks to get that muscle strength back. I tell people who exercise and are going on vacation that, if they can do brief exercise once or twice a week just to stimulate the muscle activity, they can help reduce their risk of muscle soreness when they get back.

Q: What's your advice to a sedentary person who wants to start exercising?

A: Do something they enjoy. If they enjoy going on a morning walk, encourage them to walk for 30 minutes most days of the week at a pace that allows about a 20-minute mile. Each week I'd encourage them to add three minutes until they're up to 45 to 60 minutes most days of the week. Look at stretching a couple of days a week as well. If somebody enjoys dancing instead of walking, I'd encourage them to find a dance class two or three days a week and dance on their own on the weekend.

Health Q&A runs every other week.

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