Ordnance Survey – Great Britain's national mapping agency

Four-step plan to get people walking

28 January 2008

A four-step plan has been formed to get people walking this year as part of an anti obesity strategy.

National walking charity the Ramblers’ Association (RA) has issued the targets as part of the Walking into Health programme, which aims to get a third of Britain walking at least 1 000 more steps daily by 2012.

Keith Roberts, Head of Campaigns at the RA, said: ‘Walking is the cheapest and most accessible form of activity known to humankind.

‘It takes just 30 minutes a day, five times a week to stay fit and people can easily build it into their daily lives.’

The four key tips that the RA has given potential to the Government to get UK residents using walking trails starts with providing safe and accessible walking routes in urban and rural contexts.

Engaging in the promotion of walking to a wide range of communities was also cited as being key, along with encouraging walking in ‘all sorts of contexts’ and forming effective partnerships.

According to the RA, currently 70% of the population do not get enough physical exercise, often because they cannot build an expensive and time-consuming gym schedule into their daily lives.

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