#NationalWalkingMonth is back for 2019!
National Walking Month has officially begun!
This is a month to ditch your car and get walking.
It's time to walk to work, walk to school and use your legs to 'pop down to the shop' instead.
Walking doesn't just improve your fitness and activity levels, it improves your mental health and its fun! Too many people nowadays stay inside or rely on their cars - so national walking month is a time for you to forget your normal routine and get yourself out there.
There are many charities and organisations involved such as: The British Heart Foundation and Living Streets.
Living Streets have an aim of getting people over 65 to get out of the house and walk. Due to pavement potholes, one in three older people are put off from walking outdoors.
"For Living Streets’ National Walking Month this year, the charity is urging people to take two minutes to complete an online action urging local councillors to improve and prioritise pavement maintenance...Living Streets has staff based across England, Scotland and Wales who will be running a range of local events, from walks to schools, led walks with workplaces to local walks with older adults and street closures which will allow whole communities to benefit from safer and cleaner streets.
—Kathryn Shaw, Living Streets
The British Heart Foundation are also supporting National Walking Month to get people walking to improve their health and wellbeing.
"Whether you set off in the evening to gain some steps, or fit some into your daily commute by getting off the bus a few stops early – regularly walking can help you live a longer, healthier life...Why not celebrate National Walking Month by signing up for Just Walk, where you can raise money for our lifesaving research into heart and circulatory diseases, all while looking after your own health.”
- Vanessa Smith, Senior Cardiac Nurse at The British Heart Foundation
Aside from the organisations involved, there are some pretty remarkable people that are out there raising money for charity and getting on their feet! Jodie works in a pharmacy and has decided to complete a 26 mile 'marathon' spread out over the course of the month. Her aim is to raise £200 whilst completing around two miles a day.
"I've started it now and I can do it throughout the course of May, its for The British Heart Foundation and my aim is two miles each day... I'm aiming to raise around £200."
—Jodie Samantha, Medway Resident.
Walking is great for your mental and physical health and many people are already regularly walking to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Gov.uk stated that in 2017/18, 25% of those under 16 were deemed physically inactive (less than 30 minutes a day of exercise)
On the other hand, some people are extremely into walking.
Andrew White, presenter and producer of Walks Britain, walks every single day for at least 90 minutes and has completed long-distance trials, the longest being one between Sweden and Norway. He believes that walking is a great mental and physical health benefit. He is aiming to get outdoors more this month for national walking month.
"It reduces everyones mental stress, it makes them less frustrated and gives them a greater satisfaction at work... It would reduce everyones risk of cancer, type two diabetes and heart disease and certainly mental health issues... It helps towards cutting our carbon emissions and goes someway to saving the planet."
—Andrew White, Presenter and Producer of Walks Britain.
Angela White (The Running Granny) started walking when she was 53 due to realising how bad her health and fitness was. After years of training, she is now planning on completing an around the country run, consisting of 840 miles - a new world record. Her aim is to educate people on their health and show them how important exercise really is.
If YOU want to do your part for National Walking Month then get out there and get walking!
To donate to Living Streets, CLICK HERE
For some good walking routes in Kent CLICK HERE