Forget taking the easy way out: Obstacle walks are more popular, according to a Cambridge study.
The researchers examined the likelihood that people would choose a more challenging walking route over a conventional one, and what design features influenced their choices.
Nearly 80 percent of the walkers said they would take a more challenging route than a monotonous one.
The findings suggest that creating trails with obstacles, such as balance beams and steps, could be a popular way to Coping with an “inactivity pandemic” and improve overall health, according to the researchers.
while going on a walking is better than being sedentarydoctors say that simply walking does not cause any significant increase in heart rate.
Walking also doesn’t improve balance or bone density, unless it includes jumping, balancing, and stepping.
The team invited almost 600 UK residents to compare photos of challenging routes and conventional pavements. The obstacle courses incorporated different elements such as steps, balance beams and high steps.
Some routes had a mix of scenarios such as crossing water, shortcuts, unusual sculptures, the presence or absence of a handrail, and other people.
Each participant was asked to rate from one to seven how difficult they thought the route would be, with one being easy to walk and seven being impossible.
About 80 percent of the study participants opted for a challenging route in at least one of the scenarios, depending on the level of difficulty and design features.
Need for a ‘wider range of exercises’
When a challenging option was shorter than a conventional route, this increased the chance of being chosen by 10 percent. The presence of handrails also achieved a rise of 12 percent.
Dr Anna Boldina, lead author from the Department of Architecture at the University of Cambridge, said: “Even when the increase in the level and extent of the level of activity is modest, when millions of people use urban landscapes every day, those differences can have a big impact. positive impact on public health.
“Our findings show that pedestrians can engage in a broader range of physical activities through minor changes to the streetscape. We want to help policymakers and designers make modifications that improve physical health and well-being.”
Dr. Boldina began this research after moving from Coimbra, Portugal, where she scaled hills and ancient walls, to London, where she encountered much less of a physical challenge.
The NHS recommends doing at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity during a week.
Additionally, adults over the age of 65 are encouraged to engage in strength, flexibility, and balance exercises to stay fit.
Dr Boldina said: “The human body is a very complex machine that needs a lot of things to keep working effectively. Cycling and swimming are great for the heart. and leg muscles, but they do very little for bone density.
“To improve cardiovascular health, bone density and balance at the same time, we need add a wider range of exercises in our routine daily walks”.
Simple changes can make a big difference
Of the participants, 40 percent said that seeing other people taking a challenging route encouraged them to do the same.
Those who chose conventional routes often had safety concerns, but the introduction of safety measures such as handrails increased acceptance of some routes. Handrails next to one of the stair routes increased acceptance by 12 percent.
To test whether the tendency to choose challenging routes was related to demographic and personality factors, each person answered questions about their age, gender, habits, health, occupation, and personality traits.
The researchers found that people of all activity levels are equally likely to choose a challenging route. But for the more difficult routes, participants who regularly performed strength and balance exercises were more likely to choose them.
Across all age groups, only a small percentage of participants said they would avoid adventurous options altogether.
The team argues that measures such as installing steps in a grassy area may be more cost-effective than laying and maintaining conventional asphalt pavements.
They also point out that these measures could save governments much larger sums by reducing health care demand related to lack of exercise.
The study is published in the journal Landscape Research.
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