The Change4Life campaign is bringing back the traditional British Christmas day walk and calling on families across the country to burn off their Christmas dinner and be more active over the festive season.
If every person took to the streets, fields or beaches after their festive treats, then families in England could walk a combined 50 million miles on Christmas day alone.
But with a typical Christmas lunch of turkey and pudding clocking up almost 1,500 calories – over half of men’s recommend daily calorie intake and three quarters of women’s – Walk4Life, part of the Change4Life movement, is calling on families to bring back this Christmas tradition en masse.
According to the British Nutrition Foundation a typical Christmas dinner is 1,470 calories.
| 2 slices of turkey (with skin) Sausage meat stuffing 4 small roast potatoes Portion of sprouts (boiled) Portion of roast parsnips Serving of gravy Serving of Christmas pudding Double cream (tbspn) Total |
225 kcal 185 kcal 400 kcal 30 kcal 100 kcal 50 kcal 330 kcal 150 kcal 1470 kcal |
To celebrate the return of the traditional Christmas walk, Walk4Life has teamed up with The Ramblers to release the top ten English walks to inspire families to get on their feet. They include a walk round famous London landmarks, a trek through the Birmingham bog that Tolkein based the hobbits’ Shire home on, as well as a wildlife walk in Highfield Country Park, Manchester
Public Health Minister, Gillian Merron said:
“Whatever the weather, a traditional festive walk is a great way for families and friends to avoid that sluggish feeling and have a more active Christmas.
“Being more physically active can make a real difference to your health – taking that extra walk is something we can all enjoy as a family.
“Walk4Life is part of our groundbreaking Change4Life campaign which is supporting families to ‘eat well, move more and live longer’ throughout the year.”
Tom Franklin, Ramblers Chief Executive, said:
“Winter is a great time to go walking – there’s nothing like a crisp winter day and the kids will really enjoy themselves if it snows.
“But it’s also important to stay active and make the best of the short daylight hours by getting out of doors, helping you walk off the mince pies and avoid the post-Christmas blues.
“That’s one reason why our annual Festival of Winter Walks with Nature Valley is so popular – there are over 850 free led walks taking place across Britain between Boxing Day and 3 January, so there’s bound to be one near you.”
Source: Department of Health
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