Walking Over Christmas
December 17, 2022
Christmas is a time of celebration, a time to enjoy eating and drinking, spending time with family and friends. It can be easy to let the healthy diets, exercise and activity levels slide during this time. However, it is still possible to maintain your health over the Christmas period, meaning you don’t have to start from scratch to complete your new year resolutions. One of the easiest and most practical ways to do this is simply going for a walk a day.
Going for just a 30 minute (brisk) walk every day can have a vast number of benefits for both your physical and mental wellbeing:
- Helps to maintain or reduce body fat
- Improves heart health and cardiovascular fitness, reducing risk of conditions such as heart disease and stroke
- Reduces risk of many other physical health conditions such as cancer and type 2 diabetes
- Boosts your immune system, helping to fight off the common cold and flu that are particularly prevalent at this time of year
- Keeps your bones strong through weight bearing activity
- Improves muscle strength
- Improves brain health
- Improves wellbeing and enhances positive mood
Christmas can be a stressful time and many people struggle mentally with the dark nights during winter. Walking at Christmas time or indeed any time, especially in morning light, is shown to improve your mood, increase your energy levels and help you get a good night’s sleep which are all vital in maintaining and improving your mental health.
The benefits of walking are endless and these above are just a few. So why not take your family out on a Christmas day walk or meet friends for a stroll and a catch up, or head out alone for some time to yourself. However you want to do it, walking over the Christmas period might be just what you need.
Tips for getting started:
You don’t need much to get started. Just make sure you have comfortable shoes and some warm clothing to protect you from the elements.
You may also find it useful to download a free app to track your walks to see your progress and increase your motivation, such as Strava, or the NHS Active 10 app.
Pick a nice walk with lots to see! Websites such as AllTrails will help you with that!
Check out the advice pages on the CSP (Chartered Society of Physiotherapists) website for advice on getting active with a long term condition.
So, whether you’re looking to become more active or want to maintain what you’ve already got, why wait until the 1st of January to look after your mental and physical health? Grab your coat and get out for a walk! If you need more specific advice about getting active with your specific medical condition, call us on 0191 285 8701 to book a consultation with a physiotherapist to discuss your needs and help you to develop a plan with you.