MP helps Ramblers gets Sheffield on its feet at FREE short walks festival

MP helps Ramblers gets Sheffield on its feet at FREE short walks festival
http://www.ramblers.org.uk/campaigns/GWD

On May 30 the Ramblers called on everyone in Sheffield to slip on their trainers or shoes and join them – no matter what age or ability – for a fantastic FREE walking festival to celebrate national Get Walking Day 09.

Angela Smith MP, Sheffield Hillsborough, spearheaded the promotion of the event through the Early Day Motion 1166 in Parliament. So it was with great delight that Sheffield 20 to 30s Walking Group heard that she had accepted their invitations to join them on the launch of their new “Parents and Prams” themed walks. Together, the group experienced the delights of the Rivelin Valley on a short family friendly stroll.

Angela Smith MP comments:
“The Ramblers has a proud history of encouraging people to walk and enabling them to do so, by fighting for such things as rights of way and the right to roam”.

She then went on to discuss with the group how doctors agree that moderate exercise like walking helps protect people from many illnesses and conditions including obesity, depression, heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, the most common type of diabetes and many cancers. She applauded the group for presenting this opportunity for young parents to introduce children to walking. The Chief Medical Officer prescribes 60 minutes of exercise a day for children. Yet, alarmingly, 40 per cent. of children do not meet the minimum target , which presents serious consequences for public health.

The Rambler’s welcome Angela’s support as they want to encourage everyone to take up walking as a pastime for the following reasons:

Walking rewards:

• Walking is free! In the current economic downturn, we at the Ramblers welcome anything which is free! A mile is under a 20 minute walk and so you could save some pennies walking instead of using the bus or your car.
• Walking keeps your body fit and your mind healthy. Walking burns as many calories as jogging over the same distance. Furthermore it boosts happiness and reduces stress.
• Walking is good for the environment. If we all walk more and use our cars less, we will significantly reduce carbon emissions which contribute to climate change.

Escape to the great outdoors.

In these tough times of doom and gloom with daily reports of job cuts, individuals need assistance to stay positive. The government’s message is that the only really successful way for the country to get itself out of this recession is if we have a positive outlook, willing to embrace new challenges. Taking up walking could be part of the recipe for individuals to regain their focus and motivation to beat the recession.

Walking has widely been acknowledged for improving individual’s well-being. Individuals who have faced depression and Seasonally affected disorder (SAD) have found that walking has helped them to cope and adopt a more positive outlook and focus on life. How is this possible? Well, walking exposes you to the natural ingredients for a healthy well balanced life. Firstly, getting out into the country lets you breathe fresh clean air. The increased oxygen concentrations in the air released by the surround plants creates a natural feel good factor. This is because the activity of walking increases the circulation, so more oxygen goes to the brain. This is particularly evident when you go hill walking, which the Peak District is naturally designed to accommodate. Hill walking is also a great way to burn excess fat calories as it is a slow energy release stamina exercise rather than a rapid explosive energy release exercise such as sprinting. One of the reasons individuals who are losing weight persist is because they feel healthier, more active and happier as they get slimmer. Finally, simply being out in the country surrounded by the beauty, natural colours and tranquility releases the brain’s natural feel good hormones – endorphins. These are the hormones that are also released during exercise, giving individuals the motivation and energy to persist. To some individuals they can be quite addictive, driving them to exercise regularly to get their daily fix of “feel good factor”.

There are many ways to start walking. If you have the motivation you can simply go out into your local park of which there are many in Sheffield. If you need more motivation and direction there are many walks being organized by groups over the coming months. For instance, the Ramblers are organizing a national “Get Walking, Keep Walking” event on May 30th to encourage everyone to get on their feet. The Sheffield 20 to 30s Walking group are participating in this event and using the date to launch a “Parents and Prams” themed series of walks focused at young families that are looking for flat, easy terrain walks where they have the opportunity to meet other families over a coffee and cake. From the 25th April to 4th May there is the Peak District Walking festival . There will be one hundred guided walks put on to suit all abilities and tastes. For instance there is the Bakewell taster trail – an excuse to find out what tastes better a Bakewell tart or a Bakewell pudding. For details of the walks visit www.visitpeakdistrict.co.uk.

If you don’t want to take up walking for yourself, why not take it up to raise money for a good cause. The Red Cross (www.redcross.org.uk)are looking for individuals to raise funds on their Peak District walk. This is an 8 to 11 miles being run on June 14th. It covers the great ridge, and runs from Edale to Mam Tor, taking in excellent panoramic views of the Hope Valley and the Vale of Edale. If this type of event takes your fancy you can also enter for the “Three Peaks Challenge” (www.thethreepeakschallenge.co.uk / www.actionforcharity.co.uk) – a 24 hour event covering the highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales. From here the next step could be to raising funds walking the Inca trail to Machu Picchu (www.actionaid.org.uk/1613/press_release.html), a 13 day trek through the wilderness of Peru; walking the Great Wall of China (www.acrossthedivide.com/china.asp); or even walking to the Everest base camp in Nepal (www.charitychallenge.com/expedition_challenge.jsp?id=7). So the sky is literally your limit if you are motivated to take the first step outdoors. Further, individuals who take on these events often comment that they are life challenging experiences.

The Sheffield 20 to 30s walking group run regular events to introduce potential new members to walking. The next event is on Thursday 16th April from 5pm to 7pm at the Cream Café in Broomhill. As the group is affiliated to the Rambler’s these events are open to all ages. Following the introduction event, individuals will be invited to attend an introductory walk. Full details of these and future events can be found at www.sheffieldwalkinggroup.org.uk. The group also publish their full list of walks on the website. All are welcome to join the group on these walks, which are lead by highly experienced and competent walk leaders.

Walk your way out of the recession blues.

In these tough times of doom and gloom with daily reports of job cuts, individuals need assistance to stay positive. The government’s message is that the only really successful way for the country to get itself out of this recession is if we have a positive outlook, willing to embrace new challenges. Taking up walking could be part of the recipe for individuals to regain their focus and motivation to beat the recession.

Walking has widely been acknowledged for improving individual’s well-being. Individuals who have faced depression and Seasonally affected disorder (SAD) have found that walking has helped them to cope and adopt a more positive outlook and focus on life. How is this possible? Well, walking exposes you to the natural ingredients for a healthy well balanced life. Firstly, getting out into the country lets you breathe fresh clean air. The increased oxygen concentrations in the air released by the surround plants creates a natural feel good factor. This is because the activity of walking increases the circulation, so more oxygen goes to the brain. This is particularly evident when you go hill walking, which the Peak District is naturally designed to accommodate. Hill walking is also a great way to burn excess fat calories as it is a slow energy release stamina exercise rather than a rapid explosive energy release exercise such as sprinting. One of the reasons individuals who are losing weight persist is because they feel healthier, more active and happier as they get slimmer. Finally, simply being out in the country surrounded by the beauty, natural colours and tranquility releases the brain’s natural feel good hormones – endorphins. These are the hormones that are also released during exercise, giving individuals the motivation and energy to persist. To some individuals they can be quite addictive, driving them to exercise regularly to get their daily fix of “feel good factor”.

There are many ways to start walking. If you have the motivation you can simply go out into your local park of which there are many in Sheffield. If you need more motivation and direction there are many walks being organized by groups over the coming months. For instance, the Ramblers are organizing a national “Get Walking, Keep Walking” event on May 30th to encourage everyone to get on their feet. The Sheffield 20 to 30s Walking group are participating in this event and using the date to launch a “Parents and Prams” themed series of walks focused at young families that are looking for flat, easy terrain walks where they have the opportunity to meet other families over a coffee and cake. From the 25th April to 4th May there is the Peak District Walking festival . There will be one hundred guided walks put on to suit all abilities and tastes. For instance there is the Bakewell taster trail – an excuse to find out what tastes better a Bakewell tart or a Bakewell pudding. For details of the walks visit www.visitpeakdistrict.co.uk.

If you don’t want to take up walking for yourself, why not take it up to raise money for a good cause. The Red Cross (www.redcross.org.uk)are looking for individuals to raise funds on their Peak District walk. This is an 8 to 11 miles being run on June 14th. It covers the great ridge, and runs from Edale to Mam Tor, taking in excellent panoramic views of the Hope Valley and the Vale of Edale. If this type of event takes your fancy you can also enter for the “Three Peaks Challenge” (www.thethreepeakschallenge.co.uk / www.actionforcharity.co.uk) – a 24 hour event covering the highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales. From here the next step could be to raising funds walking the Inca trail to Machu Picchu (www.actionaid.org.uk/1613/press_release.html), a 13 day trek through the wilderness of Peru; walking the Great Wall of China (www.acrossthedivide.com/china.asp); or even walking to the Everest base camp in Nepal (www.charitychallenge.com/expedition_challenge.jsp?id=7). So the sky is literally your limit if you are motivated to take the first step outdoors. Further, individuals who take on these events often comment that they are life challenging experiences.

The Sheffield 20 to 30s walking group run regular events to introduce potential new members to walking. The next event is on Thursday 16th April from 5pm to 7pm at the Cream Café in Broomhill. As the group is affiliated to the Rambler’s these events are open to all ages. Following the introduction event, individuals will be invited to attend an introductory walk. Full details of these and future events can be found at www.sheffieldwalkinggroup.org.uk. The group also publish their full list of walks on the website. All are welcome to join the group on these walks, which are lead by highly experienced and competent walk leaders.