The OS (Ordnance Survey) believe that an active outdoor lifestyle helps you to live longer, stay younger and enjoy life more. But it is a sad fact that research tells us fewer and fewer people are regularly getting outside, either on foot, on bike or by any other means.
Despite the advice from Public Heath England that says that adults should be doing 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, recent research showed that a quarter of British people won’t walk anywhere that takes over 15 minutes.
Three quarters of us don’t walk to work, almost 70% never walk to the shops, while only a third would ever do the school run on foot. And it’s not just incidental walking that looks to be on the decline, only around a third admit to liking a weekend walk for pleasure!
Not only is the lack of exercise potentially bad for people’s waistlines, social activity and exercise are a great way to help improve mental and the exposure to natural light can help to set your body clock, meaning you’ll sleep better at night.
To help combat this, OS have launched the #GetOutside campaign to help to give people inspiration to go outdoors and be more active through other people’s stories and experiences – whether that’s beginners guides to new sports, great new locations to explore or family fun festivals to enjoy.
Could you inspire more people to #GetOutside?
OS are looking for people like you to inspire and to help others appreciate everything the outdoors has to offer. It’s not experience that counts as a Champion, but passion.
If you like to #GetOutside off-road (whether that’s walking, mountain biking, horseriding, camping or anything else), and would love to enthuse others to do the same, make a difference and apply to become a #GetOutside champion for 2017 at http://www.os.uk/champion2017
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