Walking for health after retirement


Anyone reading my blog will know that I enjoy walking. Most weekends I go out with a walk in the past history group and we walk four or five miles often up and down hills.

A cow in the river
A Constable moment

My husband took this photograph near Bradford on Avon on our walk last week.  I love learning more about the history of our local area and visiting the countryside which is looking its best at this time of year. I know walking is good for both my mental and physical health and am keen to encourage others to share my interest.

The start of the walking for health initiative

Before I retired I worked as a nurse in a local nursing home for the elderly. I witnessed at first hand the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle in a bid to prevent illness and disability as we age – because although things like Disability Employment Services can do a lot of good, they don’t fully mitigate the challenges involved. I also saw the problems faced by those people who did not.  This led to me becoming interested in how to encourage older people to stay healthy.

A few years ago I was lucky enough to obtain a place on a health promotion course run jointly by the University of the West of England here in Bristol and our local NHS trust. As part of the assessment, we had to complete a research project. I chose to study how to prevent violence in the care setting but the other participants also discussed their research with me.

One of the other students was involved in a new initiative by the government to promote walking for health. Research had shown that older people were adopting an increasingly sedentary lifestyle and this was leading to a rise in obesity and diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart problems. Inactivity is also associated with an increased incidence of depression and anxiety. Walking has been shown to help us maintain a healthy BMI.

The government’s plan was to organise free walks of about three miles and encourage everyone to come along. My colleague’s study was based in a poor part of inner-city Bristol where there was a high degree of isolation and loneliness among the elderly. She discovered that many people were afraid to leave their homes. It was decided that in order to encourage people to participate all walks would end with a free cup of tea or coffee and biscuits.

When people turned up for their first walk they were asked to fill in a questionnaire asking about health problems and also feelings of loneliness and other mental health problems. This questionnaire was repeated after about six months. The organisers were surprised to find out how popular the walks were and the number of participants who became regular walkers.

When they looked at the second batch of questionnaires everyone was surprised to find that although people reported feeling fitter and having more stamina most people thought that the chance to visit new places and make new friends was far more important.

Other studies have shown that walking regularly helps prevent osteoporosis, some types of cancer and possibly the onset of dementia. Government guidelines suggest that older adults should have about 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week.

Walking for health today

The walking for health initiative has continued to grow. There are now schemes all over England. Volunteers still lead three mile walks.  Locally they have also added shorter walks, and buggy walks for young mothers. Unfortunately, you no longer get a free drink and biscuits but they often end with a visit to a coffee shop.

Here is a link to the walking for health website if you want to find out more. Walking for health you should be able to find details of your local walks.

A few tips if you are new to walking for health.

  • Wear sensible shoes! Trainers or sandals are fine for urban walks but proper walking boots are best for walking in the county side.
  • Thin layers are best if the weather is likely to be changeable.
  • It is always good to walk with others but if you are on your own take a phone and tell someone your route and when you expect to get back
  • You need to become breathless from time to time
  • know your capabilities.
  • Check bus timetables in rural areas.

Remember although walking will help you to get fit you can’t out walk a poor diet. If you want to lose weight you will need to adopt a healthy eating plan as well as increase the amount of exercise you take.

Fitness trackers

Fitness trackers and pedometers are a great way to stay motivated. It is easy to lose sight of how little we are walking especially during the last year when most of us were forced to spend more time at home.  Getting confirmation that you have only walked 200 steps today may be the nudge you need.  You can get a basic fitness tracker for about £20.00 or download a free app for your phone.  Most trackers have a default step goal of 10,000 steps a day but it is difficult to know as you get older what step goal is most beneficial for fitness and longevity. Generally speaking, moving more is good for our minds and bodies. Public health England is putting the emphasis on brisk walking. If you currently walk 1,000 steps a day try increasing it to 4,000 steps which are about 2 miles.

It is easy to make simple changes like walking to the shops instead of driving. If that means you need to make more trips it is even better!

How about choosing a walking holiday as a healthy and ecofriendly option?

One of our favourite walks

This is Folly Farm which is owned by Avon Wildlife trust.

A favourite walk through the woods
A walk through Folly farm

12 responses to “Walking for health after retirement”

  1. I always worry about how sedentary my life is and I’m only 35. I spend so much time sitting at the computer as I work from home, and I think it’s about time I took more of a leaf out of your book and got up and outdoors a bit more!

  2. I walk to work when the weather permits. Right now it’s too hot in Arizona. I’ll walk in the park today.

  3. That’s a fabulous initiave – and gorgeous countryside. I walk daily – just 5 kms along the beach close to our home in Queensland. Each day we chat to a 90 year old man who is in substantially better shape than me (I’m 52) and each day it reminds us not to stop moving. Thanks for linking up with #teamlovinglife

  4. Thank you for linking up with us for Wellness Wednesday! Hope you will continue to join us every month on the second Wednesday. I have been a life long short distance runner (read jogger) but recently have had some much trouble with my right leg that I haven’t run as much as I would like. Probably need to begin looking into walking as a way to get good exercise with the strain on my joints. My Prince Charming and are doing Weight Watchers and bedtime walks most nights. We need to step up our pace, though!

  5. Hi Anne lovely to connect with you through #WellnessWednesday as I haven’t seen your blog before. What a great initiative and I would love to do a Walk Leader Training if they had this in Australia. Not only do you keep fit but also maintain the important social connections and explore new places.

    • Thanks for visiting. I think the scheme is great for helping people stay connected to the local community. I have discovered some new coffee shops.

  6. Thanks so much for linking up at the #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 1! Pinned ♥

  7. Hi Anne, I love to walk and find it so helpful for both my emotional and physical well being. Your tips are spot on…the shoes, the layers, and the communication to others of where you’ll be walking. Thanks! #blogginggrandmotherslinkparty

  8. Ooo I’d like to read more about that health promotion course you attended.
    Walking is a wonderful thing to be able to do for our health, and it’s great that you can get so much enjoyment from it. The initiative is a fantastic one, though it’s a shame there’s no longer free tea & biscuits as that can be a nice social aspect to it at the end (without the pressure of a coffee shop & cost involved for those attending). I used to do walks like this for a local initiative in my last job as a community advice & support worker, I’d take groups that usually involved a couple of clients, people from the community centre with learning disabilities, and anyone else who wanted to join. xx