May is National Walking Month.

Two organisations are joining forces in May to encourage us all to leave our cars at home and walk ourselves into a healthier and happier lifestyle. They are Living Streets and Walk England. In May there are 2 special weeks, Walk to Work Week (9th to 13th May) and Walk to School Week (16th – 20th May).

Walking is one of the most effective forms of exercise you can do, with the added advantage that it is cheap and simple! Walking for a mere 30 minutes each morning can transform your fitness levels, reduce anxiety and stress and improve your concentration levels for the rest of the day (particularly important for children at school).

You only have to try and negotiate School Lane at either end of the school day to see how many children are driven to and from school. As most children live within a mile and a half of the schools (unless they live outside Selsey), why do they need to be chauffeured? The walk will improve fitness levels and concentration. An astonishing 43% of children are now driven to school. Changes in a child’s fitness at this early age may discourage the upward trend to obesity. 23% of the UK population is now classed as obese with the level rising rapidly with the ensuing health and economic problems.

Children are not the only people to rely too much on their cars or buses. How many adults use their car to “pop into the village” when they could just as easily walk to the shops? Taking a walk over your lunch break or walking to a bus stop further away all helps. You can use the walking time as thinking time and plan the day ahead, or unwind after a hard day at work or school.

So, you don’t need to spend a fortune on special clothing or footwear, you don’t have to sign up for expensive gym membership, just put on a pair of comfortable shoes and step out to get fit. You can easily work in a good walk as part of your daily routine.

Walk to Work.  More Information »
Walk to School.  More Information »