Happiful December 2019

A walk on the mild side
From cutting down on anxiety to easing fatigue, studies show again and again just how
powerful walking can be for our wellbeing. To find out more about how placing one foot in
front of the other can boost our health, Happiful’s Kathryn Wheeler joins a guided walking
group, and discovers the perks of putting mindful walking into practice
“ It’s a good job you came today
instead of last week,” is what
I’m greeted with as I arrive
at my local leisure centre, ready
for a gentle excursion with the
guided walking group, Walking
for Health. It’s a chilly but clear
Tuesday morning – a contrast to
the week before when the weather
was reportedly torrential.
I’m here to join the group of
about 15 others on a 50-minute
walk around the town centre. Just
one of more than 1,800 weekly
walks organised by the country’s
largest network of health walks,
Walking for Health. Groups are
free to sign up for, and provide
slow, guided treks over easy
terrain – offering anyone who
needs it the opportunity to
support their mental and physical
health through gentle activity.
We set off, and weave through
the town – following familiar
routes, and ducking down roads
I’ve never explored before. As we
go, the group breaks off into pairs
and threes, conversations about
family and holidays flow easily. As I
speak to people during the walk, so
many tell me that they came for the
exercise, but stay for the company.
Though it’s not just the social
aspect of these groups that support
us. Walking has been shown to
improve our self-perception,
self-esteem, mood, sleep, and
stress levels. In fact, according
to a study by the Department of
Health, those who take part in
daily activity are a staggering
20–30% less at risk of developing
depression. All this considered,
the news that GPs are increasingly
referring patients to schemes such
as these comes as no surprise.
I chat to the group about their
experiences with walking. Each
has their own motivation for being
there that day, but: “It’s a reason to
get out of the house,” keeps coming
up. This sticks with me, because so
often we do feel as though we need
a reason to get outside.
The walk flies by, and soon
it’s time for me to head back to
the office – revitalised by my
morning’s activity, and ready to
take on the rest of the day.
But just under a week later, it’s
a Sunday afternoon and I feel
sluggish. I think about the walk I
went on, and I decide to get out of
the house. I retrace the walk I did
with the group, adding in my own
diversions down routes that take
me further away from the town,
into open countryside.
As I walk, I allow my mind to
wander. I think about all the
things I’m looking forward to in
the busy week I have ahead of
me. And yes, stresses do enter my
head. But as I move on, so does
my mind – and as easily as I’m
taken by a worry, I’m returned to
the moment by the things around
me. Things like the sound of water
running in the stream I cross,
taking care as I navigate slippery
mud on off-road tracks, and later
the hustle and bustle of traffic as
I make my way back through the
town and home again.
Do it alone, with a friend, or with
a group. Explore pastures new, or