Walking: cheaper than the gym

Young people are giving up the gym and taking up walking as the economic recession bites.

That’s the conclusion of a survey carried out by walking charity the Ramblers as their National Get Walking Day approaches. A quarter of those polled said they had walked either to save on transport costs or gym membership.

The group’s own figures show an increase in the young people joining the organisation, with a 15 per cent rise between 2007 and 2008 as the Ramblers shake off their bobble-hatted image and embrace more urban walking events.

The charity’s young people’s groups are the fastest growing section of its membership.

Tom Franklin, chief executive of the Ramblers comments: “It’s no surprise that people are taking to their feet during the recession.

Tom Franklin

“Walking is one of the cheapest, most enjoyable and flexible activities around. Walking keeps you fit, and unlike the gym, it’s free and you don’t need specialist equipment to do it. People are also discovering that it is also the cheapest and most sustainable way to travel short distances too.”

Get Walking Day, this Saturday, 30 May, will launch in London with a ‘cake walk’ on Tower Hill, with hundreds of walkers helping to cut a ribbon and an outsize cake followed by a walk to Greenwich.

Get Walking Day, in its second year, will see events throughout England, Scotland and Wales, each involving walks of five miles or less. Details are on the Ramblers’ website.

The telephone survey, conducted for the charity, asked 1,006 over 18s whether they had, at any point during the recession, walked to save money on gym and fitness or travel costs. 26 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds and 28 per cent of 25- to 34-year-olds responded positively.