WALK THE WALK
IF like every other family yours is far too quick to go everywhere in the car, May is the month to make you think twice.
Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking, is urging young and old to find their feet and walk for 20 minutes a day throughout National Walking Month this month.
It says walking is a free, easy and a fun way to improve your health.
Tanya Braun of Living Streets says: “A short, 20 minute walk with the family, whether at the weekend or on the way to or from school is a great physical, outdoors activity which helps to get the heart pumping and boosts endorphins – making us feel happy and healthy.
“And a walk, whether on pavements or through wilderness, is a great opportunity for family bonding too, so why not give it a go this National Walking Month?”
NHS statistics published in March 2017 revealed that one in four adults aren’t even walking for half an hour a week and levels of obesity have more than tripled since the 90s.
So why not follow Living Streets’ advice and ‘Take20’ this month to get your family fitter and having fun together.
There’s a whole load of ways to add interest to your family’s trek on the NWM website, and here are just some of them:
Invite family and friends for a walk: you can make it short and sweet near your home or venture out on a woodland trek. You can always grab a bite to eat when you get back together or take a picnic with you. Whatever, it’s a great way to spend quality time with loved ones.
Get snap happy: capturing moments along the way makes walking more interesting, so plan your weekend walk and take your camera or smartphone with you and snap your local park, town centre or the sunset. See how many hidden treasures you can find in your area.
Go on a scavenger hunt: Find a feather, spot a squirrel, gather round a gate…and more. You can download NWM’s scavenger hunt sheet.
Have a Happy Shoesday: Get imaginative by encouraging your children to wear happy shoes – upcycle a pair of old shoes or jazz up their favourite with a new pair of laces. Use NWM’s guide to designing a happy shoe or turning shoes into super heroes.
Make someone’s day: Call on a friend or neighbour on the way home.
Power Walk: This is a great way to get healthy and fit – and you’ll get further in your 20 minutes. Walk on different surfaces and inclines too, to use different muscles and strengthen them.
Crumbs – what about this one? Crumbs City Trails are new and fun ways for all the family to explore your home city and reach the recommended amount of exercise for the week.
The Crumbs City Trails mobile app takes you on a walking route scattered with clues and trivia questions to help you discover more about the culture and history of the area.
Living Streets have developed FREE trails for May around London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Sheffield, Bristol, Manchester, Leeds, Leicester, Birmingham and Newcastle.
So, for more ideas and more information on how you can get your family on foot, visit livingstreets.org.uk/nwm and follow them on Twitter: @livingstreets #NationalWalkingMonth