A five minute walk can improve your health

For many people, finding the time to exercise is difficult and our busy lives can mean that we are not as healthy and active as we’d like to be.

However, a recent study by the University of Essex shows it doesn’t take much to improve our health and wellbeing – just five minutes exercise such as walking or cycling in the “green environment” of a park, woodland or in the countryside has proven benefits to our health and wellbeing.

To encourage everyone to use our parks and to mark next week’s Love Parks Week (24 – 31 July), NHS Suffolk has teamed up with Suffolk Mental Health Partnership, St Edmundsbury Borough Council, Ipswich Borough Council and the Orwell Mencap Green Bikes Project to organise a pilot treasure hunt in two of the county’s green spaces.

Rangers at both parks are ready to hand out treasure hunt forms to anyone wishing to take part (Abbey Gardens from Saturday 24 July to Friday 30 July; Holywells from Tuesday, 27 July to Friday 30 July.) There are questions for the whole family on the parks themselves as well as testing your knowledge on leading a healthy lifestyle.

Hand in completed forms to the rangers and you will be entered into a prize draw. There are two Healthy Ambitions Suffolk (HAS) goodie bags to be given away, and one lucky winner will receive a refurbished bike from the Orwell Mencap Green Bikes Project.

Dr Peter Bradley, NHS Suffolk Director of Public Health said:

“In Suffolk we are fortunate to have such an abundance of green space, including country parks and woodlands, as well as miles of beautiful beaches and coastline – all of which can be enjoyed free of charge and provide the perfect environment for some outdoor exercise and fun. The study shows that improving our health needn’t be hard – a simple walk in the park can do us all a world of good”

The University of Essex study can be seen at http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac/presspac/full/10.1021/es903183r


More information on Love Parks Week can be found at www.loveparksweek.org.uk

For more information about NHS Suffolk visit www.suffolk.nhs.uk


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