You may be aware that May was National Walking Month, an opportunity to take the stairs instead of the lift.
While there appears to be a hashtag for everything, National Walking Month encourages us all to add 20 minutes per day to our weekly recommendation of 150 minutes exercising. Walking provides many benefits to both your physical and mental health; it strengthens your heart, decreases your risk of heart disease and stroke, controls high blood pressure and can prevent dementia.
We’re very lucky where our office is based that we can pop over to the beach for a stroll at lunch, or walk around Poole Bay, but if there’s one thing we’ve learnt, it’s hard to get your ideal steps in each day!
During April we had an internal competition, inspired by Ouch Training Team’s Midday Mile campaign, and the fortunate timing of #NationalWalkingMonth meant we could challenge our clients to a bit of light-hearted competition.
Without further ado, what you’ve all been waiting for, here’s the leader board from the month.
- Duncan, Morgan Sindall, 615k
- Elissa, Russell-Cotes, 579k
- Andy, Waterside Holiday Group, 536k
- Sue, Humphries Kirk, 531k
- Toby, Morgan Sindall, 524k
- Rob, Paultons Park, 491k
- Rachel, Nuffield Health, 442.9k
- Lauren, Paultons Park, 442k
- Simon, Humphries Kirk, 438k
- Sarah, Nuffield Health, 429k
- Jane, Haskins Garden Centres, 404k
- Lorna, Humphries Kirk, 387k
- Katie, Superior, 332k
- Shona, Liz Lean PR, 298k
- Lisa, Dolphin Shopping Centre, 288k
- Fran, Humphries Kirk, 268k
- Amy, Nuffield Health, 262k
- Will, Dorset County Show, 240k
- Will, Liz Lean PR, 219.9k
- Liz, Liz Lean PR, 219.1k
- Emily, Liz Lean PR, 209k
- Leila, Liz Lean PR, 200k
- Belinda, Liz Lean PR, 191k
- Carol, Liz Lean PR, 185k
- Claire, Liz Lean PR, 183k
- Naomi, Weird Fish, 182k
- Nicole, Waterside Holiday Group, 180k
- Holly, Liz Lean PR, 161k
- Cat, Liz Lean PR, 158k
- Alice, Liz Lean PR, 147k
Studies show that a quick walk is just as effective as antidepressants in mild cases of depression, releasing feel-good endorphins while reducing stress and anxiety. So, for positive mental and physical health, walking’s an absolute must.
We’re all being mindful in the office to keep up the good work, and a few members of the team have commented on the positive effects they feel from being more conscious about it all. We hope that it’s also been a benefit to those who have taken part, and that we’ll all be more mobile in our day to day lives.
Thanks to Lauren at Paultons for providing a lovely picture of their gardens to accompany this post!