As far as exercise routines go, walking seems fairly straightforward: You put one foot in front of the other, and keep going until you reach your destination or decide you’ve had enough. The payoff for getting it right is bigger than you might realize. Research suggests that walking roughly 8,700 steps a day cuts the risk of dying from any cause by 60% compared to walking 2,000 steps daily. That same study, which included more than 110,000 people, found that walking about 7,100 steps a day was linked to a 51% reduction in risk of heart disease . So what’s standing between you and those benefits? We asked experts to walk us through the small mistakes that add up to less benefit and more wear and tear over time. Thinking walking “doesn’t count”  If you’ve ever waved off the idea of a walk as “real” exercise, you’re in good company—and you’re wrong. “It’s essentially just as good as running, biking, or swimming. It just takes a little longer,” says Dr.…