Natural England

FORGET SURFING: ‘WEB WALKING’ CAN BE GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH! - 17th January 2001

The Walking the Way to Health Initiative [WHI] goes on-line today [17 January 2001] at http://www.whi.org.uk/as part of a programme to get 1.5 million inactive people in England back on their feet. The campaign, led by the Countryside Agency and the British Heart Foundation, recognises that walking is the every-person pastime and is good for your health, as well as a very effective way to get around - it has even secured sponsorship from progressive car manufacturer Kia as well as funding from the New Opportunities Fund.

Easy to include in the daily routine, www.whi.org.uk puts it straight as to why we should seriously consider walking, pointing out that walking is cheap, safe and a very effective way to improve overall fitness levels. In fact, regular walking can substantially reduce the risk of coronary heart disease [Britain's number one killer], reduce blood pressure, stress, osteoporosis and the risk of developing diabetes, as well as increasing energy levels. 

And for those worrying about those extra Christmas pounds, walking can both help to reduce weight and maintain weight loss. A walk of just one mile can burn in excess of 100Kcal, whilst walking two miles a day three times a week can help reduce weight by one pound every three weeks. 

For those brave enough to consider taking up the fitness challenge, a visit to this interactive site takes you through three key sections introducing walking… 

Why don't YOU Walk? 
-Tackling head-on the 'voice from the sofa', the site offers a comprehensive set of reasons on why walking is for you, how you can find time to do it [start by throwing away the remote control!], the health and social benefits as well as the benefits to local communities. 
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Walkers' information 
-WHI brings together organisations and individuals dedicated to walking as a social and healthy activity for people of all ages. Walkers' information includes suggestions on how to work out your personal walking regime, examples of potential walking diaries for scheduled walks, and a comprehensive listing of those regular walking programmes already 'up-and-walking' around England. 

The Initiative 
-Containing information for those who take walking to heart, the section provides detail on the WHI programme training for people involved in running local schemes, insurance cover for walking groups, and grants to set up schemes in local community areas. It also tells you who is running the scheme. 

Launched in October 2000, the Walking the Way to Health Initiative will increase the health and well-being of people who take little exercise or live in areas of poor health, by promoting regular and brisk local community walks. In particular, it hopes to reduce the rate of coronary heart disease, which kills more people in England than any other disease. The initiative will support and grant-aid 200 local walking for health schemes over the next five years. 

Olympic Gold medallist Sally Gunnell commented on the launch of the scheme: "As a busy working mum, I understand how hard it is to find the time to exercise. By walking with your family, friends and neighbours, you can combine exercises with your social life. It's as easy as putting one foot in front of another." 

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For further information, screen grabs or images contact:
Julia Cropley or Nigel Ellway at the Countryside Agency on 020 7340 2909/7 

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Notes to editors: 

1. How Fit Are You? 
Not convinced you need the exercise? 
[http://www.whi.org.uk] 

2. www.whi.org.uk The site was designed by SAS Digital, based in Cheltenham (www.sas-digital.com) 

3. Walking the Way to Health Dr Bird, an Oxfordshire GP, came up with the idea of walking for health in 1994. Many of his patients had health problems linked to weight and lack of exercise. Dr Bird realised that walking improved his own mood and health but few of his patients were actually walking in his locality. He drew up a series of walking routes between one and four miles long, graded them according to difficulty and worked out the ideal walking times for people according to their age and current fitness. The routes were promoted by a pack of walking cards, and proved popular. Later he introduced a programme of led walks for people who would not walk on their own. Volunteers from the community lead the walks with backup from a fitness instructor. Over 16,000 walks have taken place in the last five years. 

The Countryside Agency is responsible for advising government and taking action on issues relating to the social, economic and environmental well being of the English countryside. 

www.countryside.gov.uk