The benefits of walking

As a physiotherapist I used to give advice on keeping active. "Low-impact aerobic exercise" was a phrase that I used to use. What this means is do enough to get the breathing going and then it is a cardiovascular exercise, but not with the impact that you get on the joints by jogging. In general I think those people who wish to take part in high=impact exercise are healthier than those who don't, but what we should definitely be doing is walking, briskly if possible.

In practice what this means is to park the car at a distance and walk the last mile. This is particularly beneficial if you want to go into the city centre. I parked ten minutes away from Manchester city centre on Sunday. Parking was free. I heard yesterday that the high cost of parking in Manchester is second only to London. Which magazine tells us that it costs £13.20 for four hours in the most expensive car parks.

A few years ago I parked on the street (at no charge) as I walked to the theatre. It took me two or three minutes at the most but opposite the theatre was a car park with a sign that told me it would only cost £12 to park there for the evening.

You can save on parking fees, improve your health and save the environment by driving less. I know there will be some who disagree with this blog. Some prefer to park outside the door and save those few minutes. I hope they think about this saving when they are sat in front of the television falling asleep.

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