"Walking is the nearest activity to perfect exercise"
(Morris and Hardman 1997)
Regular physical activity is essential for good health, but most of us don’t do enough of it.
- Experts recommend at least half an hour of moderate exercise five days a week.
- Only 20% of people in the UK get enough exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle and satisfactory fitness level (NHS Direct).
- Health problems due to low levels of physical activity are now one of the ten leading global causes of death and serious illness, responsible for two million deaths worldwide each year.
- In the European Union, inactivity is now a greater cause of illness than smoking (World Health Organisation 2002).
Rising inactivity is most likely an even more important factor than bad diet in the dramatic rise in obesity.
- Obesity levels in England have risen by around 50% in a decade and the trend is still upward.
- More than one in five English adults are obese.
- Almost a third of English children are either overweight or obese.
- 24million British adults may be overweight or obese (Department for Health 2003).
- Obesity is now the second biggest cause of death after cancer (World Health Organisation 2001).
Frequent moderate exercise is the best way to tackle inactivity
- Routine and regular moderate activity may actually be more beneficial than short bursts of intense activity (Westerterp 2001).
- A brisk one-mile walk in 20 minutes burns around 100 calories - as much as swimming for 10 minutes, playing football for 12 minutes or doing aerobics for 16 minutes.
- Gym membership has increased every year since the early 1980s but obesity and other problems related to lack of physical activity have continued to rise (Guardian 28 October 2003).
- Most people find regular, moderate exercise is easier to build into a busy lifestyle in a sustainable way, requiring much less motivation and commitment than more demanding activities.
- Exercising for ten minutes three times a day is as beneficial as exercising for 30 minutes once a day (Murphy and Hardman 1998)
Walking is the best choice for regular, healthy exercise.
Unlike most other forms of exercise:
- Walking is free and requires no special equipment or training
- Almost everyone is capable of walking
- You can walk almost anywhere
- Walking is safe and low-impact, with a low risk of injuries and accidents.
- Walking for health can be combined easily with walking for other reasons: walking to work, school or shops; visiting a place of interest; walking the dog
- You can enjoy a variety of surroundings as you walk in different places and different seasons
- You don’t need to concentrate on the walking itself, leaving you free to enjoy your surroundings, chat to companions or just relax
Regular walking will
- Improve your heart and circulation
- Lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels
- Promote weight loss
- Improve flexibility of joints and muscles
- Build strength in muscles and bones
- Boost your immune system
- Help you breathe more efficiently
- Aid restful sleep
- Help maintain a balanced body chemistry
- Build confidence and mental well-being
Regular walking can reduce the risk of a number of health problems including
- Coronary heart disease – regular walking can halve your risk of a heart attack
- Strokes
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Bowel cancer
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Arthritis
- Anxiety and stress
(Bird and Reynolds 2001, Walking the way to Health
Initiative)
Walking sociably, with friends or in a
group, can improve your mental health and quality of life. There is also
some evidence to suggest that simply spending time in the outdoors and in
contact with the natural environment has a positive effect on mental
health (see for example Pretty et al 2003, Seymour 2003).
References (this page should open in a new window).