Natural England

27 December 2007

Natural England, the champion for the natural environment, wants those heading off on Boxing Day walks and setting New Year resolutions to be more active and make use of England’s great outdoors by joining the ‘Outdoor Gym’ in 2008.

Sir Martin Doughty, Chair of Natural England, said: “Walking for pleasure shouldn’t be saved for once a year. Parks, rights of way and England’s unique wildlife and landscapes are all there to be enjoyed and the views are substantially better than those you get from a treadmill. What’s more, they’re often free.”

Earlier this year, Natural England announced that 31,500 walk leaders have been trained to help encourage people to get active and stay active in the outdoors through its ‘Walking the Way to Health Initiative’ (WHI), a scheme open and available to all.

Dr William Bird, Natural England’s health adviser, said: “It’s been shown that the great outdoors is the best motivator to keep people walking and active. It’s also the easiest form of exercise to make part of your daily routine and the significant effect it can have on reducing or coping with stress really can make a difference to peoples’ lives.”

Natural England’s 10 reasons why you should Join the Outdoor Gym:

• Walking in your local park or in the great outdoors available on your doorstep is one of the greenest way to exercise as it doesn’t leave a carbon footprint
• The outdoors also provides great opportunities for wildlife spotting - join the two million people who have used the Natural England and BBC website which provides links to great places to walk and explore near you - all you need is your postcode, visit Find Breathing Places near you
• Exercising outside can improve concentration for several hours afterwards and makes you more resilient to stress or helps cope with stress
• £2.9 billion has been assigned to environmental schemes in the countryside between now and 2013. This is your money being used for environmental benefits – get out there and enjoy it!
• If you walk for 30 minutes a day you can burn off 2,000 calories a week (the equivalent of six Mars bars) or 150 calories per mile. That may not seem like a lot but walking and keeping fit also increases your metabolism so it’s good for you even when you’re not doing it
• Your stress levels fall within minutes of contact with nature – good for body and mind
• Walking crosses all generations and everyone can get involved. Research has shown that if children haven’t had the opportunity to be in the natural environmental on their own before the age of 11 they’re unlikely to use it in later life and therefore benefit from the stress relieving qualities the outdoors can bring
• Walking protects our joints from wear and tear thanks to muscle build-up
• Wherever you are in England, you are never more than 50 miles from a National Trail
• Walking improves your immune system for up to 24 hours after a walk which can help prevent you from catching a cold

Natural England teams around England have put together a selection of great places to explore in the great outdoors wherever you live and some walks that you can join between Christmas and New Year’s Day, visit:
Walking the way to Health - WHI Walk Finder
Find Breathing Places near you
Countyside Access - Things to do