Walking

Walking is the most accessible sport in the world and one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight and become healthier.

Apart from some appropriate footwear, walking requires very little by way of equipment.

Walking is simple, it is free and family members and friends of all ages can get involved, setting their own pace and distance.

Often overlooked as a form of exercise, walking briskly can help build stamina, burn excess calories and make the heart healthier. It can help lubricate the joints and can strengthen the muscles that support them.

Walking can also reduce the risk of developing a cold or the flu. It increases oxygen flow through the body and can increase levels of hormones that help elevate energy levels.

Time spent exercising outdoors and increased social interactions are highly effective in combating depression and anxiety as well as preventing the long-term degeneration of mental health through conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Walking and talking can be therapeutic, boosting self-esteem, reducing symptoms of social withdrawal, and aiding clarity of thought and creativity. It can give us the physical and emotional space that we need to allow us to move, to think and to feel more freely. It can help us to connect to nature, to our environment and to each other.

With the population of the North East having lower than national average life expectancy levels, and the prevalence of overweight and obese children being above the national average and rising, Walk & Talk Trust wants to encourage people to put down the technology and put on their boots and get outside.

We want people to become physically fitter, but equally importantly we want them to become more connected and understanding of themselves and each other too.