Time to take the hard path to good health

CREATING footpaths featuring obstacles – such as balance beams and stepping stones – could help improve overall health, a study suggests.

Doctors say a simple stroll doesn’t cause any significant increase in heart rate, and walking also doesn’t improve balance or bone density. But adding obstacles can turn a stroll into a good workout.

The study involving 600 UK residents asked how likely people are to pick a more challenging route over a conventional one – nearly 80 per cent said they would. The findings, published in the journal Landscape Research, show that active landscape routes in urban areas could help tackle an ‘inactivity pandemic’.

Lead author Dr Anna Boldina, of Cambridge University’s department of architecture, said: ‘Even when the increase in activity level is modest, those differences can have a major positive impact on public health. Pedestrians can be nudged into a wider range of physical activities through minor changes to the urban landscape.’

The NHS recommends doing at least 1 0 minutes of moderate activity or 7 minutes of vigorous activity over a week.