By Vivienne Crow

Last updated 17:56, Monday, 07 April 2008

DID YOU know that walking regularly could reduce the chances of you catching a cold?

For years, doctors, psychiatrists and now government departments have been extolling the virtues of walking as a therapy for both injured bodies and troubled minds.

A daily walk has been linked to cutting the risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. A study at the University of Massachusetts recently discovered that, of 550 subjects, those who walked every day had 25 per cent fewer colds than their less active counterparts.

Another American study compared the effects of a walking programme over a toning and stretching regime in elderly subjects and found that the walkers performed far better in tests of mental agility. As an aerobic exercise, walking increases oxygen and blood flow to the brain, helping it to work more efficiently.

Our own Department of Health is determined to get a third of all people in England walking at least 1,000 more steps daily by 2012.

Now, of course it’s easy to scoff and regard this all as simply more nonsense from the so-called experts – another health fad that will fade in time - but anyone who walks regularly will have experienced at least the short-term benefits of walking.

A recently bereaved friend of mine told me last week she’d spent the first seven miles of a 10-mile walk through the woods near her home bawling her eyes out.

After having felt low for several days, she arrived home physically exhausted but her mood had lifted considerably.

I find that few things give me the same sense of empowerment and liberation as a challenging walk on the fells. To feel the rock under my hands on a steep, craggy ridge and then reach the top under my own steam is a wonderful feeling – and such a simple thing; no great skills or financial outlay required.

If I’m feeling troubled or simply need time to think through something that’s been causing me stress, I head for my favourite group of fells and walk it out.

The space, the exercise and the solitude all enable me to think more clearly.

I discover all kinds of things going on inside my head. Mostly it’s rubbish, but once I’ve sifted through it in the fresh air, it’s easier to get it into perspective or find ways to articulate it.

For some reason, the natural landscape helps us put our problems into perspective. Maybe it’s because, surrounded by the sheer scale of Mother Nature, we gain an insight into our true place in the world.

It’s hard to see how your boss’s irritating, patronising ways matter in the grand scheme of things when you’re standing on top of a mountain looking down on a sparkling lake with nothing but the occasional cloud for company. Others might say it’s because we are closer to God, the Creator.

Whatever the case, I know I’d recommend a regular dose of walking for just about anyone.

n Vivienne Crow is a freelance writer specialising in outdoor pursuits.