Health & Walking
For the lucky souls who walk the Visit Southern Scotland they of course need no conversion to the magic of walking. The feeling of being in touch with the land in all its moods, a day spent in stretching your heart, lungs and limbs can have few equals.

The western world is getting fatter. Adolescents are now being found with type 2 diabetes, the so-called adult form of this disease. At present 3% to 4% of the adult population has this disease and this is predicted to rise to as high as 10% in the next decade. Heart disease, respiratory disease, strokes and even some cancers seem to be more likely in the less than physically fit.

Exercise in whatever form has its part to play in both our physical and mental health. For me walking is the most pure form of exercise. We are designed to put one foot in front of the other and repeat this for hours on end. It is only a couple of generations ago that for the majority of the population this was the major means of transport.

And yet we seem to have come to look on it as a strange hobby for a few poor souls who haven't caught on to the magic of lying slumped in front of a TV for hours, drinking in pubs, shopping, driving around in cars, or visiting some man made entertainment centre. Look at the school run, the shopping trip for a video or a pint of milk, journeys often so short that using the car appears perverse to me but for so many the car seems to be the only means to travel any distance more than a few feet.

I hope that this web site and its sister site at http://www.visitsouthernscotland.com will enthuse some to venture out and find the same sense of fulfilment that I do in walking.

Dr John Wilson, GP
Selkirk Health Centre

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