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Walking : Why Should I Walk?

Walking is an ideal way to take regular exercise. It requires no equipment or expense and can be built into your everyday routine. Walking is the best way for people from all walks of life to become more active.

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To get health benefits from walking, you only need to walk for 30 minutes, 5 days a week.

If it suits you to break this down and do, say, 3 sessions of 10 minutes walking in a day, that's just as good.

Here are a few ideas about fitting walking into a busy life:

  • Think before you drive less than a mile - walk to the local shop or post box
  • Get off the bus a stop earlier
  • Park the car further away from the supermarket
  • Take the stairs instead of the lift
  •  Enjoy a walking lunch - walk to the park and eat your sandwiches
  • 'Borrow' a friend's dog and take it for a walk
  •  Walk to the pub
  • Throw away the remote control!
Regular walking can improve your:
      
  • Confidence
  • Stamina
  • Energy
  • Weight control
  • Life expectancy
    		•

     
     It can reduce the risk of:
    • Coronary heart disease
    • Strokes
    • Diabetes
    • High blood pressure
    • Bowel cancer
    • Alzheimer's disease
    • Osteoporosis
    • Arthritis
    • Anxiety
    • Stress

    It's easy to get started:

    • Almost anyone can do it
    • You can do it anywhere at any time
    • You dont need special equipment
    • It's free and easy
    • You can start slowly and build up gently. If you can only walk for a couple of minutes and then you need to rest that's OK. Where you start from isn't important - its where your going thats counts!

    Walking can bring added benefits:

    • Led walks are a chance to meet people and make friends - they can be fun
    • It's a gentle exercise and its suitable if you are recovering from heart trouble, a stroke or other illness
    • Walking schemes can help improve your local environment by clearing/maintaining local paths and increasing the number of safe areas to walk.

    Information with kind permission from 'Walking the way to Health'

    Please use the "Contact Us" box at the top right hand side of your screen if you have any questions .  Alternatively, you can use our online Comments form.

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