>October Events / >September Events / charities / Events in Norfolk and Suffolk / Health & Wellbeing / walks July 9, 2014
Walk Your Way to a Healthier Day
Whilst keeping active is one of the best things we can do to help keep our hearts healthy, a recent YouGov survey showed that an alarming 34% of people would not consider walking for more than 20 minutes when planning a journey. The survey also discovered that only 40% of adults surveyed are walking more than the recommended amount of 150 minutes per week and, worryingly, more than a quarter of people (26%) are only walking, on average, for an hour or less per week.
To help us incorporate physical activity into our everyday lives, local charity Healthy Ambitions are once again setting a challenge to change that statistic in this region. In September, Healthy Ambitions will once again host the One Million Steps Challenge to encourage people to get outdoors and get walking every day.
Anne Gartley, Operations Manager for Healthy Ambitions says, “Did you know that just 30 minutes of walking a day can reduce body fat, boost the immune system, aid digestion, and can even reduce the risk from cancer?” She continued, “Incredibly it is estimated that more than 10,000 cases of breast and bowel cancer could be prevented in the UK just by people increasing the amount of walking they do each day.”
According to the Ramblers, taking one step uses over 200 muscles, while walking one mile in 20 minutes can burn 100 calories – as much as swimming for 10 minutes or doing aerobics for 16 minutes. Walking for two miles, four times a week can help you lose around 1lb a month. Walking is an excellent form of exercise which can keep you fit and active and improve your mental health. Walking can also help you recover from illness as well as prevent it.
The benefits of walking also extend beyond the physical as walking releases endorphins which improve mood and reduce stress. The Mental Health Foundation claims physically activity can be as effective as antidepressant drugs in treating mild to moderate depression and being outdoors for just five minutes of exercise in a green space can boost mental health. Anne concludes “If you walk with a friend you can have a catch up at the same time or perhaps join a walking group – it’s a great way to make new friends!”
This year Healthy Ambitions are hoping to attract even more teams than ever before, to join their One Million Steps Challenge which begins on Monday 8th September 2014 and finishes no later than Sunday 5th October 2014.
The Challenge is open to everyone, and Healthy Ambitions are encouraging all businesses throughout the region to support their staff as they embark on their daily walks, and employees are also encouraged to get their family members to join in. Together, teams of 5 people can cover one million steps over the four week period.
To reach the target, each team member will need to walk at least 10,000 steps on five days for each of the four weeks. Everyone can of course include the steps taken during the weekend in their total. Walkers are encouraged therefore to get out and explore the countryside and take family and friends with them. Last year a staggering 143,876,510 steps were clocked up by more than 125 teams from Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent and Northumberland, with many people continuing with their challenge whilst they were on holiday – just to keep the team points total up!
Registration is now open and the fee is £10 per person for the 4 week period, and there will be an online leader board on the One Million Steps website healthyambitions.org.uk/onemillionsteps to encourage healthy competition with other businesses – and there will be prizes for the top two in both the team and individual categories.
You can also follow the challenge via Twitter #OMS or @HealthyAmbition. As Healthy Ambitions is a charity, the proceeds from the Challenge will be spent directly on the Healthy Ambitions Early Birds Breakfast Club™ programme which is being rolled out across the region, giving school children a healthy breakfast to start their day – essential to help them learn and enjoy their school lessons.
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Healthy Ambitions is the local charity taking action to improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Suffolk and beyond. Healthy Ambitions works with schools, colleges, community groups and businesses to promote heart health and physical wellbeing. Registered charity number 1142134.
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