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National Walking Month

4th May 2017

National Walking Month is a campaign throughout May that promotes the benefits of walking and encourages people to get outdoors and be active, whatever their level of fitness. Walking is simple, free and one of the easiest ways to become healthier.

Why Walk?

Being active helps reduce your risk of developing a heart or circulatory condition, as well as having a stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis. In addition to these amazing health benefits, here are some other reasons to get outside and walk:

  • Feel more energetic
  • Get a healthier body shape and appearance
  • Control your weight
  • Feel less stressed
  • Increase your self-confidence
  • Sleep more easily
  • Enjoy your surroundings
  • Meet people and make new friends through walking groups
  • Save money

British Heart Foundation: Just Walk

Just Walk is an initiative from the British Heart Foundation. It’s a simple and easy way to raise funds for life saving heart research. All you need to do is sign up to Just Walk, decide when and where you want to walk and then get fundraising.

“Walking is a fantastic way to keep active and maintain a healthy heart.”

Lisa Young, British Heart Foundation’s physical activity specialist

Once you’ve signed up, the BHF will send you your free fundraising kit which is full of fantastic resources to help you organise your walk.

Where to Walk

The beauty of Just Walk is you can do your walk anytime and anywhere. But, if you are in need of some inspiration, the BHF can help. They have lots of great ideas for your walk:

1) A Canal Walk
Did you know there are 90 different canals in England and Wales that cover 2,000 miles? Enjoy picturesque, countryside views and improve your health and fitness with a canal walk.

2) Old Railway Lines
Thousands of miles of former railway line are open to the public, running through cities, towns and spectacular areas of countryside. Most of us enjoy walking off-road, but did you know that there are disused railway lines all over the country where you can enjoy a walk that is flat, traffic-free and often suitable for bikes, pushchairs and wheelchairs too?

3) Long-distance Walks
Whether you want a short walk or an epic challenge, long-distance paths have a lot to offer and are an excellent way of exploring the stunning landscapes of the British Isles.

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British Heart Foundation’s physical activity specialist, Lisa Young, explains why walking is great for your health, but also as a way to help raise money for the BHF: “Walking is a fantastic way to keep active and maintain a healthy heart as it is fun, flexible and free. By taking part in our Just Walk campaign, you can help us to support the 7 million people living with heart and circulatory disease in the UK. You can walk wherever and whenever suits you and it’s an easy way to fundraise for the BHF. Remember, every pound you raise will fund research that’s so urgently needed to help us beat heart disease.”

Sign up to Just Walk

Whether you walk five miles or 100 miles, every step you take and every pound you raise can help raise money for our life saving research. Sign up to Just Walk and plan your own sponsored walk. Find out more on the British Heart Foundation’s website.