On the evelenth day of Christmas my true love shared with me, 11 reasons to go walking
Staying active and getting fresh air are vital even over the festive period. When faced with adversity and stress heading out for a walk can really help maintain a positive perspective on things. So here are just eleven reasons for adding a walk into your daily routine:
1) Getting out in the fresh air and stretching your legs can help refresh your mind, body and soul.
2) This may have something to do with the fact that this type of exercise helps the release of the body’s natural happy drugs—endorphins.
3) Just 30 minutes of walking a day can do wonders for your cardiovascular fitness too, as well as being able to reduce excess body fat.
4) Regular walking can even help reduce your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and some cancers.
5) You can take a walk almost anywhere. Even a trip to your local shop counts.
6) Walking can suit any mood. You can choose to fly solo or spend time being social, walking and talking with others. Why not mix it up some days?
7) Whilst walking you can set your own pace. It can be low impact or more intense- to deliver a high impact workout.
8) Walking does not require expensive specialist kit. Although as a minimum, we advise you take a mobile phone, wear a pair of sturdy walking shoes plus layers and waterproofs, to help manage the variable Scottish weather.
9) You can set yourself walking challenges, building up step count over time.
10) Walking can be a great way to meet people. If you are in St Andrews, you can be part of the Transition walking buddy scheme.
11) Fun walking routes and tips are readily available to get you started on your journey. Here are some of our favorite links to what’s on offer locally:
St Andrews Walks Leaflet PDF – https://www.scotways.com/images/pdf/StAndrewsWalksLeaflet.pdf
StAndrews Interactive Cycling Map – https://fourpointmapping.sustrans.org.uk/standrewscyclemap/standrews.html
Walk Fife – https://www.walkfife.com/
