Health

Walking is described in Dr William Bird and Veronica Reynolds’ book ‘Walking the Way to Health’ as ‘the nearest thing to perfect exercise’. It is something nearly all of us can do, every day, from our doorstep. Walking is also free and doesn’t require any special equipment. It’s sociable and you can start slowly and build up gently.

The Chief Medical Officer recommends that adults take 30 minutes of moderate activity on at least 5 days of the week. Brisk walking – when you breathe a little faster, feel a little warmer and have a slightly faster heartbeat – is an ideal moderate intensity activity.

If you are particularly concerned about your health and want to start walking, go to our Walk Now pages for more information. If you are someone who has successfully improved your health by walking, or you are a doctor or health professional who prescribe walking to help improve patients' health please let us know  - we would really like to share your stories to inspire others.