This summer get outdoors to discover nature on two feet because the physical and mental health benefits of walking can be life-changing! Whether you walk through the city you live in, along the rivers nearby, through the parks, around your apartment, circling your garden or climb up and down a step ladder, walking movements have to many health benefits.
Health Benefits of Walking and movement:
- Improves Mental Health
Exercising and walking helps to release endorphins, which are good hormones that help to reduce anxiety. With the added pressures of our mostly indoor lives, home schooling, working from home, anxiety about getting outside and more, walking (wherever you can do this) can help reduce the feeling of stress. According to MIND, a charity aiming to improve mental health, increasing your levels of activity from sedentary to exercising three times a week can reduce risk of depression by almost 20%.
- Muscle Toning and Fat Loss
Walking is a nice steady activity that many people find more achievable than jogging; you can walk at your own pace, building up the distance of your walks each day. With no equipment needed it is an no-hassle form of exercise that requires very little planning – you can walk from your front door. With a focus on leg muscles, your quadricepts, hamstrings and calves, walking and moving more can help improve your muscle definition, prevent muscle loss and help you to lose weight. With more movement you will burn more calories each day, and the steeper the gradient you walk up or the faster you walk the more calories you burn each day. The NHS suggests that adults should do at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity every week, and walking is a great way to do this!
- Strengthening your Heart
Walking at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week can significantly reduce your risk of coronary heart disease. According to Harvard’s research, protection from these risks is evident even at distances of just 5½ miles per week and at a pace as casual as about 2 miles per hour.
- Climbing Stairs is Even Better for you
Stair climbing is at least twice as taxing as brisk walking on flat ground and 50% harder than walking up a steep incline or lifting weights. You can reach your peak exertion much faster climbing stairs than walking. Harvard suggests that “even at a slow pace, you’ll burn calories two to three times faster climbing stairs than walking briskly on the level”. The Harvard Alumni Study found that men who average at least eight flights a day enjoy a 33% lower mortality rate than men who are sedentary — and that’s even better than the 22% lower death rate men earned by walking 1.3 miles a day. Lets get climbing!
While you are walking around your homes, towns, gardens and up those stairs, why not take a look at our walking tours to inspire you later in the Summer once restrictions are lifted – returning to nature, walking through the countryside, at our own pace, in our own time, all day, all weekend, all week!
Top 3 Walks in England for this Summer and Autumn:
The Cotswolds Way: A glorious 102 mile National Trail that runs the length of the Cotswolds From Chipping Campden in the North to Bath in the South. Our 10 Day self-guided walking takes you back to nature and immerses you in the history and heritage of the magical Cotswolds. We take care of all your accommodation, luggage transfers and emergency support so you can set out into the hills care-free and thoroughly enjoy every day’s walk, resting your feet in our handpicked country hotels in the evenings.
The Ridgeway National Trail: This 70 mile footpath is Britain’s oldest road, used for at least 5,000 years. Walk through history on our 7 day tour along the historic ridgeline that travels down through the Chilterns and the North Wessex Downs – both designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and finishing at the Avebury Stone Circles, a World Heritage Site. Step back in time on our hassle-free Self guided walking tour, walking at your own pace, in your own time, with all the luggage transfers, accommodation and organising taken care of.
Cotswolds Towns and Villages Walking Tour: Beginning and ending in Moreton-in-Marsh, a direct 1.5 hour train out of London, this 6 Day self-guided walking tour immerses you in the best of the Cotswolds villages, country lanes, fields, gardens, trails and all of the hidden gems that dot this landscape. We pick the best trails to walk all day, while picking the best hotels in the region in the evenings, with wonderful local cuisine and the best places to rest tired feet at the end of the day, transferring luggage and providing guidance, help and emergency support throughout.
If you are looking for inspiration, look no further than the English countryside, and please get in touch to enquire about any walking trips 2022 and 2023 – private, guided and self-guided tours are all available!