The benefits of walking are numerous. It is a fantastic way to keep fit and stay healthy. It is also an easy and free activity that the whole family can do. With the sidewalks clear and warm weather approaching, it is the perfect time to get started on a walking routine.
In this article we will look at the benefits of walking, give you a great list of walking trails across southern Ontario that you can access year-round, as well as some great charity walks to support this month.
Benefits of Walking
Exercise is one of the best things we can do for our physical and mental health. One of the most effective ways to remove barriers to exercise is to keep it simple. With walking, there is no need for specialized equipment, memberships or registration fees. You can do it alone, with a partner or in a group. You can pretty much do it anywhere, any time. just get your shoes on and go!
Walking has been shown to provide a number of long-term health benefits including:
- Improving fitness – walking has been shown to improve several cardiovascular measures including body weight, body mass index, percentage of body fat, aerobic fitness and resting blood pressure[i]
- Reducing risk of disease – evidence suggests walking can help reduce the development of high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol[ii]
- Decreasing fall risk – walking has been shown to decrease the frequency of fall in older people[iii]
- Improving anxiety and depression – walking helps to release endorphins (the body’s own natural pain killers)[iv]
- Strengthening bones and joints – walking helps to stop the loss of bone mass and also helps improve blood flow to cartilage (the cushioning of your joints)[v]
Where to Walk in Southern Ontario
Ontario has more than 41,000km of walking trails. Trails are accessible to people of all incomes brackets, age groups and cultures. Many of Ontario’s trails are also partially or fully wheelchair accessible trails. They are open year-round and many trail activities encourage groups and clubs to get together.
Walking Trails in Etobicoke
Etobicoke Creek Trail – This is an easy and accessible 10km trail that runs along the border of Toronto and Mississauga through natural and urban settings along the riverbed of the Etobicoke Creek. It stretches from the 401 in the north to Ponytrail Drive in the south.
Humber Arboretum & West Humber River Valley – This 11km accessible trail leads you on a loop that follows the Humber River valley on a mixture of paved, hard-packed and grass trails, and includes crossing of bridges, intersections. The Humber Arboretum features 100 hectares (250 acres) of ornamental gardens integrated with ponds and wild areas.
Etobicoke Valley Park – This accessible walkway that takes you along Etobicoke Creek from Lake Ontario to the QEW. This busy pathway is used for both recreation and for non-motorized commuting.
Walking Trails in Pickering
Seaton Hiking Trail – This 12.9km trail that follows historic hunting and fishing routes on the West Duffins Creek, used for centuries by aboriginal people. It follows the West Duffins Creek from Hwy. 7 in the north to Concession 3, all in the City of Pickering. This trail is surprisingly rugged with cliffs, eroded embankments, steep inclines, rough and unstable surfaces. It is part of the greater Oak Ridges Moraine trail which stretches for 200 km across the top of Toronto.
Pickering Waterfront Trail – This multipurpose trail follows the shore of Lake Ontario from Niagara-on-the-Lake to the Ontario-Quebec border in the east. The trail has pedestrian bridge crossings over the Rouge River and Petticoat Creek.
Rouge National Urban Park – This national park located in the east end of the city contains many hikes ranging from easy to moderate, travelling through a variety of landscapes, including meadows, forests, wetlands, and farmland.
Walking Trails in Peterborough
Trent University Wildlife Sanctuary Nature Area – Over 30 kilometres of trails along the banks of the Otonabee River that includes some easy trails and other more difficult sections of the trail that are quite hilly, making it a good workout.
Jackson Creek Kiwanis Trail – A 4.5 km multi-use trail that follows Jackson Creek starting in Jackson Park in Peterborough to Selwyn Township. This former rail line has been converted for walking and cycling use. The trail takes visitors through forests, agricultural fields and wetland.
Lakefield Trail – The 5.5 km trail connects along the Otonabee River via the Peterborough County Rotary Trail. To the Trans Canada Trail. Recreation opportunities are available for pedestrians, cyclists, hikers and joggers.
Kawartha Trans Canada Trail – The Kawartha Trans Canada Trail is a 44 km linear trail that travels east to west between Peterborough County and Region of Durham. This unique four-season route of historic and cultural heritage links communities, parkland, farmland and the natural environment by providing opportunities for nature appreciation and interpretation, hiking, walking, cycling, horseback riding and snowmobiling, and preserves the corridor for present and future generations.
Northumberland Forest – The Northumberland County Forest is a 2,225 hectare (5,500 acre) multi-use forest with trail uses including hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, fatbiking, horseback riding, off-road motorcycling and ATVing.
Walking for a Cause
May is National Walking Month in Canada with initiatives that include Walk to Work Week and Walk to School Week. It is also the unofficial kick off to the charity walk season. Raising money for charity is a great way to stay motivated and have fun while walking.
Several national charities host walks in cities and towns across the country raising millions of dollars for great causes; while some smaller local organizations bring communities together to support grassroots initiatives.
Propel Etobicoke’s office administrator Adrienne Eaton is participating in the MS Walk on Sunday, May 29. Her involvement in the walk goes beyond the health benefits of walking. “I waited and struggled for months before receiving my own MS diagnosis in 2015, which happened to be the day before finding out I was pregnant. My journey with MS and parenting has very much been intertwined. Having to adjust fairly often with changes to my body leaves many questions and concerns for the future.
Joining the walk and helping to raise funds for research not only contributes, hopefully, to my own future health but to millions of families who also deal with these struggles. It definitely gives a measure of the feeling of taking action.”
Adrienne is now among the estimated 1 in every 385 Canadians living with the disease. Her fundraising efforts will help the MS Society of Canada reach its goal of $4.5 million raised at this year’s walk alone.
When asked how her fundraising campaign is going, she said, “When my team Quads of Fury walked in 2019, we managed to rank within the top 5 teams for a time. We went above and beyond our original goal by a few thousand. This year has been a bit of a slow start but we are aiming to ramp things up these next few weeks before the walk at the end of May. We really rely on anything people can spare, and are so appreciative of the support our family friends and colleagues give. They are helping to change the futures of so many.”
Here are just a few of the charity walks taking place in our clinic areas:
Local Charity Walks in Toronto
The Million Steps to Mother’s Day Walk – Sunday, May 1 & Sunday May 8, 2022 – From May 1-8, the Breast Cancer Society of Canada encourages you to move wherever, whenever for life-saving breast cancer research. They have made it easier than ever to be a part of this fundraising movement. Visit their website to register and download the app to track your movements.
MS Walk Toronto – Sunday, May 29, 2022 – This May, one community made up of tens of thousands of Canadians comes together again to walk, connect and show that no person living with multiple sclerosis is alone. Register for MS Walk today as we walk toward a world free of MS.
MS Walk Peel – Halton – Sunday, May 29, 2022 – This May, one community made up of tens of thousands of Canadians comes together again to walk, connect and show that no person living with multiple sclerosis is alone. Register for MS Walk today as we walk toward a world free of MS.
Walk to Make Cystic Fibrosis History Toronto & Mississauga – Sunday, May 29, 2022 – This May, go #FurtherTogether with friends, families and communities uniting from coast to coast to celebrate, remember and support people living with cystic fibrosis (CF).
Local Charity Walks in Pickering (Durham)
Steps for Life Durham Region – Sunday, May 1, 2022 – Walking for Families of Workplace Tragedy is a fun 5 km fundraising walk to help support families affected by life-altering workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths. It’s a unique way to educate your community about the devastating ripple effects of a workplace tragedy and how we can work together to prevent others from being injured or killed on the job. You can make a difference too.
The Million Steps to Mother’s Day Walk – Sunday, May 1 & Sunday May 8, 2022 – From May 1-8, the Breast Cancer Society of Canada encourages you to move wherever, whenever for life-saving breast cancer research. They have made it easier than ever to be a part of this fundraising movement. Visit their website to register and download the app to track your movements.
Running4Home Durham – Saturday, May 28, 2022 – This race was created to raise awareness and funds for organizations in Durham who are helping give people a sense of home, physically, emotionally or relationally. Proceeds go to organizations like Habitat Durham, Daughter Project, Possibilities House and Their Opportunity.
MS Walk Durham Region – Sunday, May 29, 2022 – This May, one community made up of tens of thousands of Canadians comes together again to walk, connect and show that no person living with multiple sclerosis is alone. Register for MS Walk today as we walk toward a world free of MS.
Local Charity Walks in Peterborough
The Million Steps to Mother’s Day Walk – Sunday, May 1 & Sunday May 8, 2022 – From May 1-8, the Breast Cancer Society of Canada encourages you to move wherever, whenever for life-saving breast cancer research. They have made it easier than ever to be a part of this fundraising movement. Visit their website to register and download the app to track your movements.
The Walk for Angels Peterborough – Saturday, May 28, 2022 – The Walk for Angels is a 5K Walk/Run to raise awareness to Angelman syndrome and to raise money for The Canadian Angelman Syndrome Society (CASS). Angelman syndrome is a rare neurological disorder that affects 1 in 15 000 live births. Peterborough has three Angelman families and they have come together to plan the Peterborough walk. All proceeds of the walk go directly to support Angelman Families in Canada.
MS Walk Peterborough – Northumberland – Sunday, May 29, 2022 – This May, one community made up of tens of thousands of Canadians comes together again to walk, connect and show that no person living with multiple sclerosis is alone. Register for MS Walk today as we walk toward a world free of MS.
MS Walk Kawarthas Lakes – Sunday, May 29, 2022 – This May, one community made up of tens of thousands of Canadians comes together again to walk, connect and show that no person living with multiple sclerosis is alone. Register for MS Walk today as we walk toward a world free of MS.
There are numerous benefits to walking for your physical and mental health. It is also a free, easy and accessible way to increase your fitness levels. Taking those first steps is the beginning of a lifetime of better health. Walking for a cause or with a loved one in mind can also give you that added bit of motivation.
References
[i] Murphy MH, Nevill AM, Murtagh EM, Holder RL. The effect of walking on fitness, fatness and resting blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomised, controlled trials. Prev Med. 2007 May;44(5):377-85. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2006.12.008. Epub 2006 Dec 24. PMID: 17275896.
[ii] Walking for Exercise, The Nutrition Source, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
[iii] Voukelatos A, Merom D, Rissel C, Sherrington C, Watson W, Waller K. The effect of walking on falls in older people: the “Easy Steps to Health” randomized controlled trial study protocol. BMC Public Health. (2011) 11:888. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-888
[iv] Sharma A, Madaan V, Petty FD. Exercise for mental health. Prim Care Comp J Clin Psychiatry. (2006) 8:106. doi: 10.4088/PCC.v08n0208a
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