WIT walking route a positive step towards better health

STAFF and students at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) are breaking new ground and being encouraged to have a happy, healthy heart.

WIT has become the first institute in Ireland to develop a designated walking route to encourage physical exercise among staff and students.

The institute’s Slí na Sláinte (Path to Health) will take walkers on a clearly marked 1.2-kilometre route around the main Cork Road campus.

WIT director Prof Kieran R Byrne said: There is thankfully a growing awareness of the need to routinely engage in physical exercise as part of the effort we must all make to stay healthy.

“The Irish Heart Foundation have done excellent work since introducing the Slí na Sláinte programme countrywide and I understand that there are now over 140 specifically-signed walking routes around Ireland.

“Walking is one of the more pleasant forms of aerobic exercise and perhaps the best suited to being part of a daily routine as it requires no special equipment and can be taken at an appropriate pace. Given this, I’m sure that many of our staff and students will step it out on our new route.”

Irish Heart Foundation national coordinator Tanya Comber-Rait said: “The walking routes are a simple, inexpensive and unobtrusive way of playing a part in promoting a healthier lifestyle.

“We have received an overwhelming response from all sectors and would be happy to team up with other organisations and companies that are interested in a cost-effective way of integrating exercise in their workplaces.”