National Walking Month has returned this May, and this year the event is celebrating the many health benefits of walking. Launched by the organisation Living Streets, it campaigns for safe, attractive streets and is encouraging people to take to the streets on foot in order to raise the issue of walking and highlight the need to make it safer and easier for all.
Better shape and a clearer head are two positive effects of walking for just 20 minutes each day. According to mental health charity, Mind, 88% of people surveyed last year saw an overall improvement in mood after going for a walk outside.
Heading out on foot is also of course the most environmentally-friendly choice we can make each day; walking to work every day for a year would save 17kg of carbon dioxide, a 30 minute walk is the equivalent of producing one plastic bottle and a 50 minute walk could power a computer for 24 hours.
There are many ways of getting involved; 11-15 May is Walk to Work Week, with a total of 50,000 miles logged by UK workplaces last year and 18-22 May is Walk to School Week.
For locals, The Suffolk Walking Festival offers something for everyone, whether you are interested in history or nature, coastal or woods. When they took it over in 2008 it had just 30 walks, it now boasts a programme which includes over 90 guided walks right across the county.
Nordic Walking East Anglia are taking part in the Bury to Clare walk, on Sunday 17th May 2015. 18 miles of gently undulating paths in the lovely West Suffolk countryside, passed several churches and through pretty villages, including Hawstead, Whepstead and Somerton, to finish in Clare. Not only is it a fantastic to chance to raise money for the invaluable local charity, St Nicholas Hospice, but also a chance to stretch ourselves out of our weekly routine whilst enjoying the fantastic sport of Nordic Walking.
Aside from the health benefits of having fresh air and exercise, it is the perfect time of year to see, hear and smell some of the delights of Suffolk and the countryside. If getting fitter is high on the agenda, then why not make the most out of your walking and grab a pair poles. Or if you haven’t tried it before join one of our beginners sessions.