Uckfield Matters April 2019

of a chain of elastic recoil throughout the
body, designed to propel us along over
considerable distances without tiring.
Furthermore, the rhythmic muscular
contractions of walking, including that
of the diaphragm, are key players in
our circulatory system. “Movement is
life,” Michael says, “and walking helps
create not only a healthy body and
mind, but also provides
an environmentally
friendly way to explore
our world.”
There is plenty of recent
research highlighting
the positive impact of
regular walking on our
mental health. Popular
blogger and writer
Emma Mitchell walks
in nature to manage
her depression. “I know
that if I do force myself
to get up from the sofa,
then the gloom can lift a
little…. For me taking a
daily walk among plants
and trees is as medicinal
as any talking cure or
pharmaceutical.”
Kath, a walker with
bipolar disorder, agrees
- "Walking has always
been there for me, my
confidence has grown immensely. I'm a
totally different person now than I was
ten years ago and I owe so much of that
to walking."
So if you fancy stepping out this spring,
you will find that Uckfield is perfectly
placed for walking. There are several
walks around our urban green spaces on
the Uckfield Town Council website.
If you feel inspired to venture further
afield, East Sussex Council has 35
walks on its site, and Wealden district
council has a further 20 walks which
pass through every parish in the area’s
historic landscape.
There are lots of walking groups in the
area as well. The Ashdown Forest Health
walks meet every Wednesday, or you
could even volunteer as a walk leader on
the NHS Walking for Health project.
Want to walk more?
Why not try...
Local walks - see
Uckfield Town
Council's website
Forest walks in
Ashdown Forest
OS Explorer Map 135
covers Uckfield - try
doing something
totally different
Better still get your
hands on a good oldfashioned
map - the
OS Explorer map
135 covers Uckfield
and its surrounding
countryside and has
public footpaths and
rights of way clearly
marked to help you
create your own
walks.
Walking can be hard,
and initially you
may feel like you are
dragging yourself
along. However, if
you persevere you
may soon experience
the elastic recoil
Osteopath Michael
spoke of, and be on
the path to greater
physical and mental
wellbeing.
Final thoughts from 19th century Danish
philosopher, poet and theologian Soren
Kierkegaard -
“Every day I walk myself into a state of
wellbeing and walk away from every
illness; I have walked myself into my
best thoughts, and I know of no thought
so burdensome that one cannot walk
away from it.”
wellbeingmatters
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