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Walking for Health and Happiness

 

Dorothy followed the yellow brick road where she encountered all sorts of characters and learned about herself along the way. Johnny Cash “walked the line”. To protest British Imperial rule in 1930, Mohandas Gandhi walked 240 miles across India, helping advance the cause of independence. Martin Luther King marched on Washington in 1963 to deliver his inspiring “I have a dream” speech, creating a new spirit of hope across the country.

 

Walks exist for cancer, hunger, and peace. What is it about walking that makes such a statement?

 

Did you know?

• Walkers have less incidence of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and

   other killer diseases.

• Walking increases concentration levels and brain function and can improve    test scores.

• Walking releases the body’s natural happy drugs – endorphins – so you’ll    feel more upbeat.

• A brisk one-mile walk to school and back burns 150 calories. Walking one    mile to and from school each day generates two-thirds of the recommended    level of physical activity per day.

• If we returned to 1969 levels of walking and bicycling to school, when 85    percent of children living within one mile and 50 percent of those living within    one to two miles of schools walked or bicycled, we would save 3.2 billion    vehicle miles of travel, 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide and 89,000 tons of    other pollutants— the equivalent to keeping 250,000 cars off the road for a    year.

 

Find out about the many benefits of walking by visiting www.walktoschool.org and find out where walking will take YOU.