Walking and the Trail Guide • Back to the Main Page • Information about the Trail Guide • Winter Walking in Canada • Links for Walking and Trails Walking Walking is the top-ranked physical activity among adult Canadians. Walking is low-impact and does not require practice or experience. It can provide a special outlet with friends and family or be a solitary relaxing time. Walking is a gentle, rhythmic activity that allows participants to set their own pace. Participants are able to walk comfortably with limited risk of injury. It is relatively easy to adopt and maintain. Many other exercise regimes have high dropout rates. Walking briskly for 30 minutes, 4 to 7 days a week: makes you feel good; relieves stress; helps you achieve and maintain a healthy body weight; gives you energy and can help reduce the risk of developing heart disease, adult on-set diabetes, osteoporosis, colon and breast cancer. Regular walking has also been associated with improved mental health including reduced anxiety, tension and depression as well as improved self-esteem. Walkers will experience increased energy levels and stamina, sleep better and have a lower stress level. To help you get into the habit of walking, a wonderful resource has been developed. The Physical Activity Log is a cheque book style Log book to help you keep track of all of your activities: Strength, Flexibility and Endurance. There are also various information cards available that fit into the back sleeve fro easy reference.  The topics include: Children and Youth Adult Older Adult Getting Started Trails: for the health of it Being Active at Work Mom's on the Move Stepping to the Beat of your own pedometer To the top Trail Guide The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Trail Guide features 20 beautiful trails, which offer easily accessible walking, hiking, cycling, in-line skating, canoeing/kayaking, horseback riding, skiing and snowshoeing routes. The Tri-Health. Team is a group of agencies that have linked together to promote healthy lifestyle choices. Smoking, physical inactivity and unhealthy eating can lead to chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer. The Tri-Health Team exists to reduce the rate of these risk factors in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark. One reason people don't exercise regularly is boredom. Walking is one of the greatest activities to get you and your family or friends on the road to physical activity. Many tri-county residents are unaware of how many beautiful local trails there are in the area. These trails will help to keep your walk interesting! Walking is also not the only physical activity you can do on the trails.  Different seasons bring different opportunities.  try biking, canoeing, kayaking, horseback riding, cross country skiing or snow shoeing. The trail guide clearly outlines each conservation area and trail by a numbered button, while the icons identify the type of trail experience each trail offers, i.e. hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, canoeing, and wheelchair accessibility. So what are you waiting for? Now is the perfect time to pick up a free Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Trail Guide. Please call The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit at 1-800-660-5853 or email your name and address to: trailguide@healthunit.org and we will mail one to you. The Mississippi Field Naturalists website has a number of trails in the Mississippi Valley area.  On this site they give a brief description of the trail and directions on how to get them. For a more detailed trail maps, information on walks or to become a member please visit the Rideau Trails Association website. The New Ministry of Health Promotion has recognized the importance of having trails available in the community; to have access to places for people to be more active, more often. For more information on the Ontario Trails Strategy go to www.lin.ca/lin/resource/html/OntarioTrailsStrategycm.htm To the top Links Looking for information on multi-use trails? www.otra.ca Looking for more information on trails and where to find them?  Try Trails Canada or Hike Ontario. To the top