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| walk:walking [2025/12/23 16:39] – Dave Darby | walk:walking [2026/03/26 18:33] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1 |
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| # Walking / hiking | This topic is part of [[gt:bushcraft|Bushcraft & Nature]] and [[gt:transport|Transport & freight]]. |
| | ====== Walking / hiking ====== |
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| {{https://www.lowimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/walking.jpg}} | {{wiki:walking.jpg}} |
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| ## What is walking? | ===== What is walking? ===== |
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| Walking is an enjoyable leisure activity that’s great for getting you moving and bringing you into contact with [nature](/ntaw/nature_awareness), with all its attendant benefits. It’s also the most natural form of transportation and one we’re perfectly designed to do (as opposed to sitting down all day). However, while a ramble in the country is one of our favourite free-time activities, the need to walk on a daily basis has been increasingly written out of today’s automated, convenient world, with serious consequences for public health, the environment and local communities. | Walking is an enjoyable leisure activity that’s great for getting you moving and bringing you into contact with [nature](/ntaw/nature_awareness), with all its attendant benefits. It’s also the most natural form of transportation and one we’re perfectly designed to do (as opposed to sitting down all day). However, while a ramble in the country is one of our favourite free-time activities, the need to walk on a daily basis has been increasingly written out of today’s automated, convenient world, with serious consequences for public health, the environment and local communities. |
| {{ https://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/wp-content/uploads/6-1.jpg }} | {{ https://lowimpactorg.onyx-sites.io/wp-content/uploads/6-1.jpg }} |
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| ## What are the benefits of walking? | ===== What are the benefits of walking? ===== |
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| ### Physical and mental health | ==== Physical and mental health ==== |
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| Physical inactivity accounts for one in six deaths in the UK and costs the National Health Service up to £10 billion a year. Young people are now seriously at risk from obesity and it’s estimated that only one fifth of 5-15 year olds are achieving the recommended levels of physical activity. Daily walking is an easy way for adults to hit the recommended target of 150 minutes of activity a week; for the elderly or those recovering from injury, it’s a great way to maintain or return to fitness, as it places very little strain on the body - unlike high-impact sports like running. Just 25 minutes walking a day can increase your life expectancy by an average of seven years and halve your chances of having a heart attack. Walking can also help prevent type 2 diabetes, stroke and certain cancers, and regular brisk walks are better for controlling your weight than hitting the gym. Twenty minutes on a flat, even surface helps burn around 100 calories (the same as 10 minutes swimming, 12 minutes football or 16 minutes aerobics). | Physical inactivity accounts for one in six deaths in the UK and costs the National Health Service up to £10 billion a year. Young people are now seriously at risk from obesity and it’s estimated that only one fifth of 5-15 year olds are achieving the recommended levels of physical activity. Daily walking is an easy way for adults to hit the recommended target of 150 minutes of activity a week; for the elderly or those recovering from injury, it’s a great way to maintain or return to fitness, as it places very little strain on the body - unlike high-impact sports like running. Just 25 minutes walking a day can increase your life expectancy by an average of seven years and halve your chances of having a heart attack. Walking can also help prevent type 2 diabetes, stroke and certain cancers, and regular brisk walks are better for controlling your weight than hitting the gym. Twenty minutes on a flat, even surface helps burn around 100 calories (the same as 10 minutes swimming, 12 minutes football or 16 minutes aerobics). |
| </figure> | </figure> |
| </WRAP> | </WRAP> |
| ### Local communities and economies | ==== Local communities and economies ==== |
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| Improving things for pedestrians has a positive impact on local economies. People tend to linger and spend more in town centres and high streets that are nice to walk around (of course, from a low-impact perspective, we'd urge you to patronise local businesses rather than multinationals that extract money from your local economy). Exploring your neighbourhood on foot makes you feel more at home there - more a part of things. You’re also more likely to stop and talk to your neighbours than if you whizz past them in a car. Making it easier for the elderly or other less able sections of society to get out and walk the streets can also reduce feelings of isolation, so organisations like Living Streets work to tackle problems such as pavement parking, uneven or cracked paving slabs, potholes etc. to make the streets safer for everyone. | Improving things for pedestrians has a positive impact on local economies. People tend to linger and spend more in town centres and high streets that are nice to walk around (of course, from a low-impact perspective, we'd urge you to patronise local businesses rather than multinationals that extract money from your local economy). Exploring your neighbourhood on foot makes you feel more at home there - more a part of things. You’re also more likely to stop and talk to your neighbours than if you whizz past them in a car. Making it easier for the elderly or other less able sections of society to get out and walk the streets can also reduce feelings of isolation, so organisations like Living Streets work to tackle problems such as pavement parking, uneven or cracked paving slabs, potholes etc. to make the streets safer for everyone. |
| </WRAP> | </WRAP> |
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| ### Environment | ==== Environment ==== |
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| Driving causes pollution, and damages nature to some extent. There's no getting away from it, so walking instead of driving whenever possible is a good thing. Long-term exposure to air pollution, mostly from motor vehicles, is estimated to cause 29,000 premature deaths each year in the UK. If everyone swapped one car journey a week for walking, traffic levels would reduce by at least 10%. One in five cars of those on the road during rush hour is on the school run, so the [Walk to School](http://www.walktoschool.co.uk/) campaign encourages walking all or part of the way. Walking to school means healthier children, less pollution and less congestion (the Department of Health [estimates](http://www.sthc.co.uk/Documents/DoH_Soft_Measures_Hard_Facts.pdf) each child walking to school is worth an estimated £768 in congestion savings). Walking in the countryside also strengthens our connection to nature and makes us more inclined to value and protect the places we love. Hiking makes you part of your surroundings, rather than just watching it flash past through a car window. | Driving causes pollution, and damages nature to some extent. There's no getting away from it, so walking instead of driving whenever possible is a good thing. Long-term exposure to air pollution, mostly from motor vehicles, is estimated to cause 29,000 premature deaths each year in the UK. If everyone swapped one car journey a week for walking, traffic levels would reduce by at least 10%. One in five cars of those on the road during rush hour is on the school run, so the [Walk to School](http://www.walktoschool.co.uk/) campaign encourages walking all or part of the way. Walking to school means healthier children, less pollution and less congestion (the Department of Health [estimates](http://www.sthc.co.uk/Documents/DoH_Soft_Measures_Hard_Facts.pdf) each child walking to school is worth an estimated £768 in congestion savings). Walking in the countryside also strengthens our connection to nature and makes us more inclined to value and protect the places we love. Hiking makes you part of your surroundings, rather than just watching it flash past through a car window. |
| </WRAP> | </WRAP> |
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| ## What can I do? | ===== What can I do? ===== |
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| Walking is completely free and requires no special preparation or equipment other than a comfortable pair of shoes. It’s an easy activity to fit into everyday life: you can increase the amount you walk by getting off the bus a stop or two earlier, or leaving the car at home for short journeys. All walking is beneficial for health, but brisk is best; you should be warm and a little out of breath, but not struggling. If your level of fitness is low, it’s best to start slowly and build up to longer distances. If you need encouragement, a pedometer is a good way to keep track of how active you are, and you can set daily goals to work towards. Or you could sign up initiatives like [Walking for Health](http://www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/), or ‘Try20’ (minutes walking a day), or join a local walking group (there’s even a [Ramblers chapter for inner London](http://www.innerlondonramblers.org.uk/) and the Thames path is the most walked in Britain). Urban walking is a very safe activity but there are factors that can make people feel less than comfortable on urban streets. Therefore, organisations like Living Streets campaign on issues like zebra crossings, 20 mph zones, pedestrian areas, pavement parking and drink driving to improve safety. | Walking is completely free and requires no special preparation or equipment other than a comfortable pair of shoes. It’s an easy activity to fit into everyday life: you can increase the amount you walk by getting off the bus a stop or two earlier, or leaving the car at home for short journeys. All walking is beneficial for health, but brisk is best; you should be warm and a little out of breath, but not struggling. If your level of fitness is low, it’s best to start slowly and build up to longer distances. If you need encouragement, a pedometer is a good way to keep track of how active you are, and you can set daily goals to work towards. Or you could sign up initiatives like [Walking for Health](http://www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/), or ‘Try20’ (minutes walking a day), or join a local walking group (there’s even a [Ramblers chapter for inner London](http://www.innerlondonramblers.org.uk/) and the Thames path is the most walked in Britain). Urban walking is a very safe activity but there are factors that can make people feel less than comfortable on urban streets. Therefore, organisations like Living Streets campaign on issues like zebra crossings, 20 mph zones, pedestrian areas, pavement parking and drink driving to improve safety. |
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| ## Further resources | ===== Forum ===== |
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| | This topic belongs to the section [[gt:bushcraft|Bushcraft & Nature]]. You can ask questions or add information on the corresponding [Forum section](https://forum.growingthecommons.org/t/bushcraft). |
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| | It is also in the section [[gt:transport|Transport & freight]] (Forum: [Transport & freight](https://forum.growingthecommons.org/t/transport)). |
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| | ===== Further resources ===== |
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| - [Ramblers](https://www.ramblers.org.uk/) - charity promoting walking; advice for walkers, library of routes. Formerly the Ramblers' Association | - [Ramblers](https://www.ramblers.org.uk/) - charity promoting walking; advice for walkers, library of routes. Formerly the Ramblers' Association |
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| ## Specialist curators of this topic | ===== Related topics ===== |
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| | - [[natt:nature_therapy|Nature therapy]] |
| | - [[ntaw:nature_awareness|Nature awareness]] |
| | - [[lito:tourism|Low-impact tourism]] |
| | - [[gate:gates|Gates & stiles]] |
| | - [[navi:navigation|Navigation]] |
| | - [[stic:sticks|Sticks & crooks]] |
| | - [[litr:transport|Low-impact transport]] |
| | - [[comy:community|Community]] |
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| | ===== Specialist curators of this topic ===== |
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