Walking is a free, low impact way to exercise with no special equipment and you can set your own pace and distance.

David Booth, South Lanarkshire Council's Executive Director of Community and Enterprise Resources, said: “Walking has huge benefits for health and wellbeing, it’s good for your heart and lungs, bones and muscles, strength and balance.

“It also improves your mood, reduces stress and leads to better sleep. It is very sociable too: walking and talking at the same time go together very well.”

Get Walking Lanarkshire organises a programme of free health walks across South and North Lanarkshire.

More info is available on the council’s Get Walking Lanarkshire page. The health walks programme can also be found on www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/getwalking

And if you’d like to help why not become a volunteer health walk leader? No previous experience is required, just a friendly nature and enthusiasm for walking. Free training will be provided. To enquire please email getwalkinglanarkshire@northlan.gov.uk or phone 07903 358424.

Get Walking Lanarkshire is a partnership project between NHS Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire Council and South Lanarkshire Council and Paths for All, which is the umbrella organisation for health walks in Scotland.