The Yorkshire Dales - outdoor gym!

The chairman of Natural England is urging people with a New Year wish to lose weight to join the "outdoor gym" in places like the Yorkshire Dales.

Sir Martin Doughty says that instead of going to the gym to lose weight, people should take to the great outdoors on foot because walking is good for you and there are extra benefits like the scenery and wildlife to enjoy.

Pointing out that a good walk should be an all year thing, and not just a Christmas outing, Sir Martin declares: Parks, rights of way and England's unique wildlife and landscapes are all there to be enjoyed and the views are substantially better than those you get from a treadmill. What's more, they're often free."

Natural England has trained 31,500 walk leader to encourage people to get active and stay active in the outdoors through its 'Walking the Way to Health Initiative' (WHI), a scheme open and available to all.

Dr William Bird, Natural England's health adviser, said: "It's been shown that the great outdoors is the best motivator to keep people walking and active. It's also the easiest form of exercise to make part of your daily routine and the significant effect it can have on reducing or coping with stress really can make a difference to peoples' lives."

Peter Nottage, Natural England's Regional Director added: "Here in Yorkshire and the Humber we have some of the most fantastic scenery and opportunities for enjoying the outdoors."

• For more information and for a list of WHI walks visit www.naturalengland.org.uk and click on the Breathing Places website.