Walk to Work Day encouraging healthier habits

An annual Walk To Work Day is encouraging people to walk for health, the environment and community. Photo / Richard Robinson

People all over the country, including in Horowhenua, are being encouraged to take part in a Walk To Work Day on Wednesday, March 13.

The annual event is organised by Living Streets Aotearoa, with people urged to add a walk into part of their day to promote healthier living and better care for the environment.

Even if walking to work isn't practical or doesn't apply, there are plenty of other ways to build a walk into the day, the organisation says.

Suggestions include walking the kids to school, hopping off the bus or train a couple of stops earlier and walking to work or school, parking the car further from your destination and walking, using the stairs instead of the lift or walking to the shops or a cafe.

Extra dedicated walkers can take things a step further and post a photo of themselves walking on their social media platforms and be in the draw to win a T-shirts.

Photos should be posted with some of the hashtags #Walk2WorkNZ, #Walk2WorkDayNZ, #Walk2Work, #Walk2WorkDay to enable photos to be found by organisers.

The giveaway will run until Thursday, March 14, with the more creative images posted, the higher the chances of winning.

Living Streets Aotearoa describes itself as "New Zealand's primary advocacy organisation for people on foot".

It started out as Walk Wellington, a voluntary group set up in 1998 by Wellingtonians with an interest in the rights of pedestrians and the benefits of walking.

It is now a nationwide organisation with branches throughout the country and an executive committee including former Wellington mayor Celia Wade-Brown.

A mission statement on the organisation's website says their aim is to get more people walking and enjoying public spaces "be they young or old, fast or slow, whether walking, sitting, commuting, shopping, between appointments, or out on the streets for exercise, for leisure or for pleasure".

According to Living Streets Aotearoa, if you walk just 1000 metres which is about 1300 steps or 12 minutes, you will:

Gain energy; tone your legs, bum and tum

Use up 74 calories (for a 70kg person)

Lift your mood; improve balance and co-ordination

Save 0.72 cents of car costs, avoid 0.2kg of carbon emissions and save $3.62 of health costs

Reduce disease risk and improve heart health

Be able to socialise with friends and community on the way.

Horowhenua has an excellent range of walking tracks and routes for those who may want to take their walking a little further.

For information on tracks in the district visit www.horowhenua.govt.nz/Places-Events/Cycle-Tracks-Walking-Trails

For more information on Walk to Work Day and Living Streets Aotearoa visit www.livingstreets.org.nz