BODY BUDDIES ARE WALKING THE WALK.

Byline: Heesun Wee Daily News Staff Writer

Who: Marilyn Bigman, 60, and Hallie Kraft, 63, both of Tarzana.

What: Both had low energy levels and wanted to shed a few extra pounds.

Why: Physicians recommended that both women fit regular exercise into their lives. The women also turned 60, forcing them to assess their health.

How: Bigman and Kraft are firm believers in the buddy system.

Last fall, the women attended a local meeting of the National Council of Jewish Women. The duo, strangers at the time, struck up a conversation about exercise.

``I just said, `I walk around the lake (Lake Balboa in Encino),' and she wanted to go,'' recalled Kraft, a retired financial manager for a West Los Angeles middle school. Ironically, the two live less than a block from one another.

``You're not real fast, are you?'' Bigman added. ``I didn't know there was a lake.''

Since then, the two walk every weekday morning for about an hour beginning around 8 a.m. Doing laps around the lake's perimeter, they take in the scenery that includes fellow exercise enthusiasts and ducks.

``It's much nicer and more interesting than walking down the street,'' said Bigman, a retired office administrator for an L.A. financial company.

``I was walking around the neighborhood, but I didn't like it ... you're breathing in carbon monoxide,'' Kraft said.

On foul-weather days, the two head to the Northridge Fashion Center for cover and a workout. Although the stores are still closed early in the morning, the main mall is open. They do laps inside the shopping center while easy-listening music chirps through the sound system.

Both women said having a partner motivates them to exercise. ``I need that buddy system. It gives us that push,'' Bigman said.

``I'm really happy to have company,'' Kraft agreed. ``Now I get up and do it.''

Now, nearly six months since the two began walking regularly, both report having more energy. Kraft said she goes to the desert annually and faces walking the same hill to fetch a newspaper. ``I had to rest going back up the hill, and my friend would pass me up. This year, in January, I went straight up that hill and left her behind,'' she said.

Bigman said she has noticed her legs are more muscular. And she's dropped 18 pounds.

Both added that exercising has encouraged them to tweak their diets. They focus on low-fat foods and minimal meats and desserts.

``I cut out the fat. I read every label,'' Bigman said. ``It takes me forever to go to the market.''

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PHOTO Every weekday morning, Hallie Kraft, left, and Marilyn Bigman take a one-hour walk around Lake Balboa in Encino. Both report having more energy since beginning their exercise program.

Bob Halvorsen/Daily News