To all who feel overwhelmed and work weary,
the exhilarating exercise of walking offers both a stimulus and a sedative
Robert Louis Stevenson

From the moment we rise in the morning to the moment we go to bed life grinds us down. Physically, the force of gravity grinds us down - at the end of the day we are up to three quarters of an inch shorter due to the compression of cartilages in our spine. And mentally, we all experience the increasing pace and pressure of life which can leave us feeling tense, tired and listless. In simple words - we feel stressed.

Stress is the dis-ease of the modern age. It’s an early warning signal, telling us that we are not in control of our lives and that we need to take action. It’s estimated to cost the UK more than £7 billion a year, and in the USA, job-related stress alone is estimated to cost in excess of $200 billion each year. A review by two American stress researchers who looked at a number of studies of life stress – occupational or otherwise – concluded that around 25% of the population was chronically stressed.

Stress triggers fatigue, tension and anxiety:

• Stress lowers the body's immune response.
• Stress destroys essential vitamins and minerals.
• Stress causes biochemical changes in our bodies, which left unchecked, can lead to high blood pressure, strokes and other illnesses.

Stress has many causes, but most experts are agreed that lack of exercise is a major factor. The inactive body tires easily and finds it difficult to cope with the demands placed upon it by modern living. We need to become more active - and the easiest and safest way is to begin a fitness walking programme.

Find out more about how to walk away from stress by buying Step It Out.