Walking Works
I love walking. Not only is it good for your mind and body, but you see lots of things whilst meandering down a country lane that you wouldn’t normally see in a car, writes Tracy Hargreaves
According to a Sport England survey, published in March 2018, walking is the most popular exercise in England with younger people also opting for High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).
Its Active Lives survey, taken from a sample of nearly 200,000 respondents, suggests that almost 62 per cent of the country exercise the recommended number of minutes each week, and more elderly people are exercising each week. An increase in participation rates with activities such as brisk walking, including hill and mountain walking, has resulted in the number of 55-74 year olds meeting the 150-minute threshold rise from 58.3 per cent to 59.6 per cent.
“While the overall activity levels of the nation are stable, what people are choosing to do is moving with the times,” says Jennie Price, CEO of Sport England.
“The popularity of HIIT shows the power of social media, and many older people are choosing to spend their leisure time in the great outdoors.”
The Ramblers is probably the most well-known walking group and has been established for more than 80 years. It is a charity whose goal is to protect the ability of people to enjoy the sense of freedom and benefits that come from being outdoors on foot.
It’s an association of people and groups who come together to enjoy both walking and other outdoor pursuits and also to ensure that they protect and expand the infrastructure and places people go walking.
Whilst it has campaigned to protect and expand where we walk, it has moved with the times and it has started to take a more strategic approach to its practical projects to get people walking, by working in conjunction with partners such as Macmillan Cancer Support and local authorities.
As well as The Ramblers, there are local walking groups popping up everywhere. Hike on Lancashire, formerly Lancashire Young Persons Walking Group, organises walks, social activities and weekends away for people in their 30s, 40s and 50s.
Walks are in the local areas of Trough of Bowland, Ribble Valley, West Pennine Moors, Lancashire coastline, Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District, usually every Sunday throughout the year but also on weekday evenings in the summer. It is run entirely by volunteers with a love of walking. As no membership is required you can simply turn up on your own, with your dog or with a group of friends.
Freshwalks has been established since 2014. It brings together business people in the north west in the majestic setting of the Peak District. Its mission is to reinvigorate both body and soul, allowing participants to make new contacts, share personal and business challenges and gain some fresh perspective. All within a magnificent setting that will allow clear thinking and new ideas to flourish. A mixture of walking and hiking, Freshwalks has more than 600 people registered and has organised over 50 hikes to date.
Freshwalks City is a relatively new initiative and a different take on a walk in the countryside, with the aim to get Manchester’s business community walking more and to improve health and wellbeing, which will ultimately improve motivation and productivity, but also has the advantage of meeting new business contacts.
In collaboration with Tour Manchester, workers meet at lunch time mid-week and are given a sight-seeing tour around Manchester to admire the architecture, find out facts about the city and go to places you didn’t even know existed.
Many parish councils are encouraged to deliver more services and support local communities and as part of this health walks are organised. Health walks can be targeted to those who are slightly older and more inactive and are usually just about an hour long. They are usually organised for the day time and are free of charge, so you can just turn up. Simply google health walks and your local council to see what’s available.
Getting out and walking will mean you feel better inside and out and get to meet some like minded people at the same time.
www.ramblers.org.uk/go-walking/group-finder/areas/mid-lancashire/groups/preston.aspx
www.freshwalks.co.uk
www.hikeonlancashire.org.uk
