Walking is a great way to find out more about an area, improve your fitness, protect the environment and save money.
To keep your heart healthy, ideally you should aim to use 2000 Kcal a week through physical activity.
Your activity calories are accumulated throughout a week so every bit helps. Walking part or all of the way to work even once or twice a week can make a real difference to your health.
People who walk have reported:
Walking helps to:
Walking supports the environment by:
So, if you're looking for a way to get to or from work then walking is the answer, it:
For more information on walking and its benefits, contact the Northern Ireland Health Promotion Agency.
Below are two maps that show Belfast city centre and Londonderry city centre. These illustrate the time it would take to get to parts of each city on foot.
Walking has big health benefits - it's easy on joints, it's good for the heart and mind and the only equipment you need is a pair of shoes.
Recent research shows that the air quality is poorer inside the car than out of it when driving in heavy traffic. In fact, car users suffer up to three times as much pollution as pedestrians.
The Regional Development Strategy 2025 aims to provide safe and environmentally attractive walking facilities in Northern Ireland.
This includes the development of a walking action plan for Northern Ireland to create more direct, safer, pedestrian friendly routes, particularly in and around town centres, traditional shopping streets, and local neighbourhoods, and improve pedestrian facilities on routes to bus stops, bus and rail stations.
The walking action plan aims to increase awareness of how accessible walking is and to highlight associated health benefits.
There are a few simple rules for walkers that can keep you safe. You can find out more from The Highway Code, which contains rules for pedestrians.
There's also detailed information on road safety on the children's Think! Road Safety website,which explains the Green Cross Code.
If you live in or near the countryside, you may have plenty of opportunities for walking. In a town, such opportunities may be limited and you may need to make more of an effort to find the time to walk.
Wherever you live, try to build walking into your normal everyday routine. For example, you could:
Walking to school improves children's health and allows them to travel independently - but their safety and security is paramount.
For children who do not want, or who are not ready, to walk to school unaccompanied, there are a number of alternatives. The Walking Bus scheme, for example, enables children to walk to school in safe, supervised groups.
If it is too far to walk, your child may be eligible for free transport to school. The education and learning section of this site has more details of free transport schemes for school children.
The Walk to School Campaign encourages pupils to walk to school more often. The campaign, which is supported by the Department for Regional Development (Travelwise NI), includes the popular Walk Once a Week or Wheels on Wednesday (WOW) initiative, which helps to promote regular walking among pupils.
Children, parents, school teachers and community leaders can also take part in Walk to School Week, usually held in May, and International Walk to School Month, which is in October each year. These are great opportunities to get involved in events that promote the many benefits of walking.
The Walking Bus concept is a new, safe, healthy and environmentally friendly approach to walking large groups of children to and from school.
Each walking bus has an adult 'driver' at the front and an adult 'conductor' at the rear. The children walk to school in a group along a set route picking up additional 'passengers' at specific 'bus stops' along the way. The bus runs in all weather conditions and everyone wears a reflective jacket.
Each walking bus is different, as they are developed to suit the needs of children and their parents. Some schools have a number of walking buses, whereas others only have one. Some walking buses operate only on certain days, while others operate only in the morning or afternoon.
Benefits of the walking bus:
Remember to arrange insurance cover before starting a walking bus. Your school should be able to advise on this. Why not set up a walking bus at your school?
Travel and transport