Walking is good for you, it is FREE and has many health and wellbeing benefits.
For example walking helps:
- prevent heart disease by improving cardiovascular fitness,
- reduce cholesterol and blood pressure,
- improve bone density (without straining your joints) so low risk of injury,
- maintain flexibility and mobility into old age,
- relieve depression and anxiety, reduces stress,
- weight management and other weight related illnesses eg diabetes
- towards a happy healthy life!
More information is available on the Walking For Health web site.
Walking does not need specialist equipment, there are walks just outside your front door and you are never very far from an open space or wood. Walking can be enjoyed with friends or family or why not join a local organised group?
A group walk is a great way to meet new people and make new friends, not to mention the benefits of being out and about in the countryside. Most walks finish with a cup of tea at a local coffee shop too!
The current minimum recommendations by UK Chief Medical Officers of physical activity for men and women are 150 minutes a week, that's 30 minutes a day on average.
There are 1440 MINUTES in a day - can you find a spare 30 minutes to go for a walk? (Reference from Henley Health Walks Jan 2011)
Here are some links to some external websites offering walks:
Organised Led Walks:
Walking for Health (Main website - search for local walks in your area)
Reading Walks
Wokingham Walks
East Berks Ramblers Group Walks
West Berks Ramblers (longer walks)
South Oxfordshire Health Walks
Wokingham University of the Third Age Walks
Parks and non-organised walks:
Reading Parks
East Berkshire Parks
West Berkshire Parks
Local town and country walks around Berkshire
"My Journey": Wokingham, Earley and Woodley Walks/Cycle routes
Earley Environmental Walks
AA Reading Town/River Walk
Reading walks (longer walks) - gps files available.
Walking Britain
Further information on local walks, maps, books and walking clubs can be found on the Walking in Berkshire website