Walking

Citation

(2010), "Walking", Health Education, Vol. 110 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/he.2010.142110cag.001

Walking

Article Type: Internet review From: Health Education, Volume 110, Issue 3

In previous reviews we have looked at all sorts of energetic ways of getting fit,everything from weight training to marathon running. But need fitness take so much out of us, demand so much in terms of effort and time, not to mention high tech clothing and specialist equipment. One school of thought suggest not. Provided it is done correctly, and with sufficient rigour, then simple walking may be the way back to fitness and health. We all know how to walk, and probably do so on most days, so can it really be that easy? This review will exmine web sites that promote health and wellbeing through walking. Can they tell us anything we do not already know, and will walking really be sufficient to maintain a good standard of health and fitness?

Ramblers Association – www.ramblers.org.uk/

A UK registered charity, the Rambles Association is probably the premier walking organisation in Great Britain, and has been so for 75 years. While the Ramblers Association is well known for its campaigning activities, e.g. Freedom to Roam, protecting rights of way and so forth, it is perhaps less well know as a health promotion agency. At first glance the Ramblers web site contains much of what you might expect. One section deals with “Walks Near You” that can put you in contact with your local Ramblers group. There is the usual shop selling books, guides and maps and another section deals with how you can volunteer to help the Association. The part of the web site that is of most interest in the present context is called “Get Walking, Keep Walking” and it is this section, primarily, that deals with the health benefitsof walking.

The “Get Walking Keep Walking” section is a new feature for the Ramblers web site and is very much aimed at people who perhaps would not ever dream of joining the Ramblers and in fact probably do not think of themselves as “walkers”. For these people the Ramblers Association has provided a free “Get Walking” pack containing a 12 week walking plan, a log book, and a free step counter. This looks like an ideal introduction to the benefits of walking and is a good way to get people involved.

For more experienced walkers the web site provides details of local walking groups as well as explaining how you can help your local community by becoming a volunteer to help with the Get Walking Keep Walking campaign.

The Get Walking Keep Walking is an excellent initiative developed by the Ramblers Association and it is supported by a very good web site. Given the known health benefits of walking, the only odd thing about this, is that it has taken 75 years to implement!

Walking – www.walking.org/

This attractive looking web site describes itself as “The complete resource for walking, health and diet”, and appears to be run by a couple called Les Snowdon and Maggie Humphries. Although they appear to be very enthusiastic about walking and health there is no indication on the web site as to their qualifications, so users should remain cautious until convinced otherwise.

The web site has many different features though the main sections deal with Fitness Walking and Weight Loss. For people who are new to fitness walking, this section provides an excellent introduction. It starts with an overview of walking and how it can help maintain fitness levels. This is followed by details of the correct footwear and the importance of warming up before beginning any form of exercise, even walking. Users can get access to seven-day and 30-day walking schedules and can download a log to keep a record of their walks. There is a brief section on the benefits of walking for kids before this section concludes by looking at how the over fifties can maintain their health and fitness through walking.

A separate section on Weight Loss is provided and even includes a “Walker’s Diet” but on closer scrutiny the dietary information, though sound, is nothing that could not be found on numerous other web sites. It should also be added that at the time of access, this section had several technical problems that meant some of the content was not available and images did not display properly.

There is also a section on Books, but since the four volumes included in this section were all written by one or other of the two web site promoters, I was less than impressed by this.

While the design and appearanceof the web site is professional, the content comes across as being written by two (very) enthusiastic amateurs. This is not necessarily a criticism, this is one of the great things about the internet, it makes it very easy for anybody with a cause, to get their point into the public domain. Users just need to be cautious, in the same way they would be, if reading a book that had been produced by a vanity publisher.

About.com – http://walking.about.com/

If you search for almost anything using Google, then About.com is likely to feature in the web sites that are returned. Owned by the New York Times, the content is provided by hundreds of experts in dozens of different fields. In some ways it is rather like Wikipedia, except the content is provided by knowledgeable professionals, rather than willing amateurs.

The section on “Training and Workouts” was particularly impressive with a wide range of content starting with “How to Start Walking” and including such topics as treadmill walking, marathon and long distance walking, how to use a pedometer and of course diet and walking.

Elsewhere the web site has numerous resources for the walker, logs that can be downloaded for free. A pedometer route map that enables the user to trace a route on a google map and thus work out the distance that would be covered for that walk. There are also tutorials and email courses and videos illustrating common walking mistakes. For the more experienced there is advice on Nordic walking, marathon walking schedules and high intensity treadmill walking. It is fair to say there is probably something here for every level of walker from the complete novice who is just starting out, to the experienced walker who s looking for a new challenge.

This web site is sponsored by advertisements but they are not too intrusive and in the main are relevant to the content provided, even if this does include “Tips for a Flat Belly” and “Fitness Singles”!

Go for Your Life – www.goforyourlife.vic.gov.au/hav/articles.nsf/pages/Walking_for_fun_and_fitness_getting_started

Go For Your Life is a health and fitness web site hosted by the state of Victoria in Australia that includes a wide variety of health-related content. Although there are sub sections aimed at different populations, e.g. teenagers, young adults, older adults, etc, Walking for Fun and Fitness is a sub-section that is aimed squarely at everyone. Quite right too, walking is common to all age groups and all age groups can benefit. The content is presented in a relatively simple format, few downloads, and little interactivity. There are a few fact sheets that can be downloaded but since they basically replicate the content of the web site there is probably little point.

This web site has much in common with many other health education web sites in that they are competent in terms of content, but they do not enthuse or motivate the user. There is little here that the user will not have found elsewhere, nothing that makes them think that walking could actually be fun and healthy and why shouldn’t they give it a go. Overall the web site might be said to be pedestrian when it should be exciting. It provides the information a would-be walker needs, but it does not shake them out of their complancency, and that is what is required of an effective web site.

Walking for Health – www.whi.org.uk/

Natural England is the UK Government’s advisor on the natural environment and they provide advice on how best to exploit England’s natural wealth for the benefit of everyone and this of course includes provision for the enjoyment of the countryside through walking. “Walking for Health” is an initiative supported by Natural England, though the concept of walking for health as an organised activity, is usually attributed to Dr William Bird who set up walking groups for his patients in the mid 1990s. Interestingly, the Walking for Health web site is one of the few that actually defines what is meant by a healthy walk. A casual stroll down to the local shop to buy a packet of cigarettes does not constitute a health walk! According to the web site a healthy walk is defined as … “a purposeful, brisk walk undertaken on a regular basis”. As an initiative, Walking for Health has set up nearly 600 local groups who regularly organise walks in their location. The web site provides a handy tool that enables the user to enter their postcode to find out where their own local walks can be found.

Working in conjunction with the National Step-O-Meter programme, users of this web site can find out how they can borrow a step-o-meter (pedometer) to help them monitor their walking activity in a more objective way.

For health education professionals the web site has a number of resources that could be used to help set up a walking for health programme. These include motivational posters, case studies, step count recording sheets as well a newsletters and evaluation reports. Finally, if you are a supporter of social networking sites, you can also find details of this web site on Facebook (http://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/Walking-the-way-to-Health-WHI/46725332392) where you can find photos of the people involved, meet up with fellow walkers, and even explore the walking for health world!

This is a very worthwhile initiative supported by an excellent web site and it does show what can be achieved by simply putting one foot in front of the other.