BE ACTIVE – May 2018

PumpHouse

This month's theme across the DWT is 'Be Active!'

May is National Walking Month, an initiative founded by Living Streets, a charity that promotes the benefits of walking, and whose aim is "to get people of all generations to enjoy the benefits that this simple act brings and to ensure all our streets are fit for walking". So, if you can walk, why not 'take steps' to increase the amount of distance your two feet carry you this month – and the next. The Tree Council's Walk in the Woods festival also takes place throughout May.

See below for more details, some thoughts on the benefits of being more active and some ideas of how to achieve it. 

National Walking Month

Living Streets is a charity that aims to create "a walking nation, where people of all generations enjoy the benefits that this simple act brings" and to make "our streets to be fit for walking". 

Every May, Living Streets organises

with the simple aim of seeing as many people as possible give walking everyday journeys a go. Follow this link to find out more, and to discover ways in which you can get involved.

Some of the benefits of regular walking include: 
• reduction in the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. 
• increase in the strength of muscles and bones, reducing the risk of osteoporosis, for example. 
• reduced risks of certain cancers. 
(taken from this in-depth article at HowStuffWorks). 

An important part of the month is: 

– which aims to encourage children to walk to school. Follow this link to find out more. 

Walk in the Woods

The month of May also sees Walk in the Woods:

"Across the UK, walks, talks and other events take place in town and countryside - an invitation to go down to the woods or to a local park or just enjoy tree-lined streets. Flowers, birdsong and leaf colour make them particularly inviting."

Find out more, and discover local events and woodlands, by following this link. 

Interesting links ...

A few links if you want to find out more ... 

• A walk around Worcester, from the AA. 
• ... and a long list of circular walks more generally around the county, from Worcestershire County Council. 
• A scientific report into the benefits of gentle aerobic exercise in older age – in particular, the benefits for the brain, including reducing the risk of dementia.