Walking the way to health
Walking the way to Health (WHI) is the largest national body promoting and setting the standards for led health walks. It is a joint initiative between Natural England and the British Heart Foundation.
For more information visit: the Natural England Website .
Cardiovascular benefits
The risk of having a stroke is 3 times higher in those who do little or no exercise.
Weight management benefits
People in Leicester are more overweight than anyone else in the East Midlands. Walking 2 miles a day, 3 times a week can help reduce weight by up to one pound every 3 weeks.
Walking calculator
Use the following link to calculate how much weight you will have lost by the amount of steps you have taken in the day.
Walking calculator
To obtain a step counter and walking diary contact us.
Type 2 diabetes
A quarter of people over 45 with type 2 diabetes could have avoided it through physical activity. Type 2 diabetes can result in diabetic shock and kidney and liver failure
Other health benefits
Walking can strengthen bones, reduce the pain of osteoarthritis, lessen the chance of Alzheimer’s disease and help reduce anxiety and depression. The more sedentary you are the greater the risk of bowel and colon cancer.
How to use walking to improve your health and reduce weight
Free step counters
Leicester City Council provides free step counters from time to time. Contact us for more information.
More advanced step counters
If there are no free step counters available or you would like a more sophisticated pedometer, many pharmacists now supply them as do most outdoor pursuits shops. Granby Street, in Leicester, has several outdoor pursuit shops all of which supply step counters.
The Walking for Health Initiative website has the facility to buy a step counter online.
Please Note: Leicester City Council is not responsible for the content and services on external websites.
