Whittle away your excess weight with walking!

Walking is one of the easiest ways to keep physically active and helps maintain a healthy weight at the same time, according to the Health Promotion Agency which is running a television advertising campaign to encourage the public to get active and 'Go walking'.

Siobhan Weir, Regional Health Promotion Manager for Physical Activity, said: "Research shows that walking a mile briskly uses the same energy as running a mile and regular physical activity can reduce weight by as much as 1 stone in 3 months. This is great news for people watching their weight and for those people who don't have time to either go to the gym or take part in organised activities.

"Physical activity is good for both the body and the mind with experts now agreeing that it can promote positive mental wellbeing and reduce stress.
To really reap the benefits aim to walk briskly so that you are feeling warmer and slightly out of breath.

"If people were offered a medicine and told it would reduce their risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis and certain cancers, everyone would want it. That magic medicine exists, it's called physical activity and only takes 30 minutes a day on five days a week!"

If you are trying to lose weight the best way to do this is not only to be physically active but to keep an eye on what you eat as well. Angela McComb, Regional Health Promotion Manager for Nutrition, said: "Being overweight can increase the risk of many health problems including heart disease, some cancers, diabetes and raised blood pressure. It can also aggravate other problems like arthritis, joint pain, breathing difficulties and snoring.

"Be realistic about what you want to achieve and then set an attainable target. Even a moderate weight loss of 1-1½ stones (5-10kg) can help reduce many of the problems associated with being overweight. Remember, you probably put the weight on over several months or years so it won't disappear overnight! Research shows that combining changes in your diet with increasing physical activity will help you to lose weight but more importantly to keep it off."

Physical activity is widely accepted as being beneficial to health yet only a minority of the population here achieves the recommended levels of physical activity. The current recommendation for adults is to do at least 30 minutes of moderate activity (e.g. brisk walking) on most days of the week. This activity can be accumulated in bouts of 10 minutes three times a day.

Siobhan concluded: "There are more opportunities than ever before for people to be more physically active. Many Health Boards and Trusts and local Councils in Northern Ireland have established Volunteer Walking Leaders to support people who want to know how and where they can enjoy walking safely."

End

Notes to the editor: At present seven out of ten men and eight out ten women do not take enough physical activity to benefit their health.

To encourage everyone to get moving 149 cash grants have been awarded to local groups that are providing opportunities for people to be more active. Seven hundred and fifty five organisations throughout Northern Ireland applied for grants in the Get active in the community awards scheme set up to encourage people to be more active, more often.