To walk or not to walk

Walking is one of the most effective forms of exercise. It is a very accessible activity, can be done almost anywhere and it is free!

Join the Cornerstone Challenge in 2011 and improve your overall health and fitness, tone your muscles, strengthen your heart, feel great and get your positive head on not to mention it being a great way to lose weight!

Walking regularly paying attention to the pace and the distance you cover is important so make a commitment to walk as much as you can for the month of September, get fitter and raise sponsorship for Cornerstone.

To join in with our challenge all you have to do is:

• Go to www.cornerstonechallenge.org.uk and register your team of up to 30 people
• Order your teams pedometer packs at a cost of £10 each
• Friend us on Facebook 
• Set up a Just Giving or Virgin Money Giving page for your challenge and send it to all your friends
• From 1st to 30th September wear your pedometers and walk, walk, walk!
• Feed your miles in at the end of each day (remember to log whole miles as and watch your teams progress against the others in the league.
• At the end of the challenge come along to the award ceremony, walk the red carpet and have a well earned drink on us!

What are the benefits of walking?

• It burns calories
• It can help towards maintaining a healthy weight
• It helps to boost your metabolism
• It helps to reduce body fat
• It boosts your energy levels
• It strengthens your legs
• It helps to strengthen the immune system
• It improves your circulation
• It lowers your blood pressure
• It helps to prevent and control diabetes
• It promotes positive mental health, including higher levels of self-esteem
• It helps you to manage stress and release tension
• It helps to improve the ability to fall asleep quickly and sleep well
• It may motivate your children to walk more if that’s what they see you doing
• It provides an activity to share with family members and friends
• It can be done almost anywhere
• It’s more environmentally friendly than driving
• It’s free!!

A few small changes to your regular routines can make a big difference. 

Just think how many extra calories you could burn just by walking to your local shops or walking the children to school instead of taking the car.

Some ideas to build more walking into your day

At work

• Park your car further away and walk to the office
• If you take the train/bus get off a stop or two early and walk the rest
• Walk to work
• On your lunch break go for a walk around the block
• If you need to speak to somebody in the office walk over to them instead of phoning them
• Walk to the local shop to buy your lunch
• Don’t take the lift, use the stairs

With the children

• Walk the children to school/playgroup
• Walk to the park and back with the kids at the weekend
• Find the time for one walk each week with each child - make this your special time when the two of you are alone and you can chat / catch up
• Plan fun exploration walks for the children - get out and explore your local neighbourhood
• Make it your mission to plan a new walk for each weekend - look out for local parks, country walks, etc
• If you drop your children at clubs / parties, don't spend the time driving back and forth, go for a walk instead

With friends:

• Plan to go walking for fitness once a week with a friend
• If you plan to meet friends walk to their house, or get them to meet you half way
• Offer to join your friend when they are walking the dog, or indeed walk their dog for them
• Rather than meeting your friends for coffee, suggest going for a walk and a window shop

At home:

• Get up early and go for a walk
• Cancel the paper / milkman and walk to the shop instead
• If you run out of essentials, walk to the local shop to buy them - don't take the car
• Walk whilst talking on the phone
• Set yourself a goal to walk up and down the stairs a certain amount of times per day
• Use the upstairs bathroom
• Whilst watching T.V. always get up and walk around during the adverts

How many calories could I burn walking?

To give you an insight of how many calories you could be burning by taking part in this challenge and getting some extra walking into your life we have found a couple of examples of how well you could be doing.

Female, Age 40, 5ft5 tall, Weighs 12st 7lbs and has a Moderately Sedentary lifestyle.

Walking Speed              Calories Burned In

 
Male, Age 40, 6ft tall, Weight 14st 7lbs and has a Moderately Active lifestyle.

Walking Speed              Calories Burned In

Calculating my walking speed.

You can calculate your walking speed in two ways:

1. Time how long it takes you to walk a pre measured mile (use the car)
or
2. Count the number of steps you take in 1 minute

Look up your figure on the chart below and read across to find your walking speed:

*Based on a 2½ foot stride

Around 4mph is the goal if you are walking to improve fitness.

Corners Turned Limited is a company registered in Scotland, registration number SC336500

The registered office of the company is Atholl House, 86 - 88 Guild Street, Aberdeen AB11 6LT