Walking is the cheapest, simplest and one of the most effective forms of exercise!

Guest Blog from Living Streets

The benefits of walking as a form of exercise are often underrated. From helping improve your physical and mental wellbeing, building walking into your day also saves money and helps the environment.

This week national charity Living Streets is encouraging workers across the country to take to their feet and feel the benefits of walking for Walk to Work Week.

From 11 to 15 May companies and individuals can join Walk to Work Week by making simple changes to their day such as walking instead of driving or taking public transport, planning a walking meeting or going for a lunchtime walk.

Incorporating walking into your daily commute can also mean getting off local transport a little earlier or parking your car a bit closer to home, rather than at work.

Walking is the cheapest, simplest and one of the most effective forms of exercise. Walking for just 20 minutes a day can transform fitness levels, improve health and reduce stress and anxiety. With many of us rushing from the commute to the office, and then eating lunch at our desks before heading home for a night in front of the television, we are unwittingly risking our health.

A brisk 20 minute walk can burn up to 110 calories so if combined with a healthy eating plan it’s an excellent way to lose a few pounds. It’s a weight bearing exercise so particularly valuable for women at risk of osteoporosis and so you’ll soon find an improvement in muscle tone and your posture.

The results of 2015 study found that a 20 minute walk each day could be enough to reduce an individual’s risk of early death (Ekelund et al. 2015)

There is a wealth of evidence which shows that physical activity can not only reduces stress and anxiety, but can be as effective as medication in boosting mood. Walking is a great way to clear your head at the beginning or end of a stressful day.

A few simple steps in the right direction can make all the difference. Who knows where walking can take you? Why not step up to the Walk to Work challenge and find out.

For more information or to sign up please visit www.walktoworkweek.org.uk