Walk Leader Refresher Workshop (4 hours) Updated Sept 2017

Welcome and housekeeping

Aim of today’s workshop Time for experienced Walk Leaders to refresh their skills, revisit core messages, and have a chance to network with other Walk Leaders.

Sum up and local updates Health Walk “health check” Welcome & walking update Sum up and local updates Health Walk “health check” Walk Leader Refresher Roles of Walk Leaders Physical Activity Guidelines Write an action plan for your walking project Pace and route update

Ground rules for workshop Let’s agree a list of how we are going to work today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnSQTVh2OA0

Walking for Health in Scotland Numbers Over 100 Health Walk projects 500 weekly walks 4,500 new walkers during 2016-17 Volunteers Since 2002 Nearly 10,000 volunteers trained Over 800 Walk Leader courses Walks 63% of the population live within 2km of a Health Walk 84% within 5km Value For every £1 invested in Health Walks £8 of benefits are generated for society

Risks of inactivity Inactivity results in 2500 premature deaths a year in Scotland (7 a day) Inactivity costs the NHS £94 million annually Inactivity is the second biggest cause of mortality (joint with smoking, after high blood pressure)

Let’s remind ourselves of why walking is so good… 30 minutes of brisk walking on 5 days of the week: Heart attack and stroke 20-30% reduction Diabetes 30-40% reduction Hip fractures 36-68% reduction Bowel Cancer 30% reduction Breast Cancer 20% reduction Depression/Dementia 30% reduction Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer 2011 “Transforming Scotland’s Health” NHS Scotland

Let’s remind ourselves of why walking is so good… Fun Free Good for your mood Connects people Improves health “Reduces the risk of 40 common conditions regular walking can Add 7 years to your life!” Doc Andrew Murray, Royal College of General Practitioners, Glasgow

Health Walk “health check” Section 1 Health Walk “health check”

Refresher Activity 1: Are the walks offered by your project still “Health Walks” or have they become something else?

Into 4 groups. Do this exercise standing up to avoid sitting too long! Use the words in the envelope to make up a sentence that sums up the key aspects of a Health Walk.

What a Health Walk IS A short, safe, social, local, low level walk, often led by volunteers - FREE 10 mins progressing up to one hour maximum Target group is inactive people, suitable for people with no experience of walking Pace to suit individual, pace can be adapted to suit the group, so the walks suit all abilities

What a Health Walk is NOT You need boots, waterproofs, poles and compass Hilly Great for experienced hill walkers Competitive Scaling mountain tops Risky

Group discussion and action plan Do you need to make any changes to your Health Walks to make them suitable for inactive people? Fill in your action Plan

Physical Activity Guidelines Section 2 Physical Activity Guidelines

Start Active, Stay Active Guidelines for physical Activity for: Early years Children Young people Adults Older Adults Ac

Refresher Activity 2: Let’s find out the Physical Activity guidelines for all the different age groups

Guidelines for different ages Group 1 – early years /under 5’s (factsheet 1 and 2) Group 2 – children/young people 5-18 (factsheet 3) Group 3 – adults 19-64 (factsheet 4) Group 4 – older adults 65+ (factsheet 5)

Find the answers How active does your age group need to be? How often should they be active? How should they feel when being active? Any special recommendations for the age group?

Early Years – at least 3 hours a day Children and Young People – at least 1 hour a day Adults – at least 150 minutes over the week Older adults – same as above plus strength and balance exercise

Average ages of walkers in Scotland’s community walking groups 16-24 years 3.5% 25-34 years 9% 35-44 years 11% 45-54 years 14% 55-64 years 25% 65-74 years 28% 75+years 11% Figures from Paths for All Walkers Database 64% are 55 years+

Adults and Older adults Adults 19-64, should do activities to improve muscle strength on at least 2 days a week Adults 65+ at risk of falls should incorporate activities to improve balance and coordination on at least 2 days of the week Walk your way to better strength and balance – Paths for All resources

Leaflet and cue cards

Strengthening exercises 28

Balance exercises 29

Group Discussion Fill in your action Plan Walking is a great way to improve the health of inactive people of any age group. Walking plus strength and balance is a great intervention for older walkers Are there any actions for your project at this point? Fill in your action Plan

Comfort Break

Section 3 Pace/routes update

Pace Update

Brisk Walking – quick quiz! 4 ways to describe brisk walking: You should…. Breathe a little faster Feel a little warmer Feel your heart beating a little faster Be able to talk (not sing)

Brisk Pace – different for everyone The amount of activity that a person needs to do to achieve moderate intensity varies depending on age, fitness and health conditions.

Pace – getting it right. Walk Leader Manual pages 20-22 and cue cards It is important that Walk Leaders get the right balance between upping the pace and making people feel comfortable and able to return next time.

How to assess pace Rate of Perceived Exertion Scale (RPE) Talk Test Simple Observation (check for being out of breath, sweaty, flushed, and slow down if you see this)

How to manage pace Pace games (see the manual) Walks of varying lengths to suit different abilities and conditions The back marker is the best person to manage pace….

Pace and different abilities Health Walks are aimed at inactive people. However walkers who are on your walks soon become more active and more fit. How can we manage the walks, so that there is a suitable walk for everyone?

Walkers at risk of falls? Brisk walking may increase risk of falls in those who are frail, who do not walk regularly, or who have fallen before Advice: walk at a steady pace and encourage regular strength and balance exercises. (Campbell 97; Robertson 2001; Campbell 2005; Sherrington 2011; Ebrahim 1997

Refresher Activity 3 Pace game Play the pace game using role play cards

Refresher Activity 4 Walking routes case studies In your groups, have a read through the case studies which outline some ideas for having different lengths of routes to suit inactive and active walkers.

Case study feedback Share what you have learned from the case studies with the larger group

Group discussion Fill in your action Plan Do you need to make any changes to your programme of walks so that there is something to suit all walkers? Fill in your action Plan

Section 4 Roles and Responsibilities

The things that Walk Leaders do Into 2 teams, 5 minutes to come up with a list of the things you do before, at the start, during and after leading Health Walks….. Go! 5 minutes to combine both lists

Your list might include: Welcome recce/risk assessment new walker forms walk register Health Walk Agreement group introductions route Explanation manage the pace keep an eye on all walkers manage any incidents Organise the social time remind walkers to walk in the week enjoy yourself…

“Tools” and support for Walk Leaders Walk Leader Manual Cue Cards Paperwork – New Walker Form Health Walk Agreement Other Walk Leaders Your Coordinator

Further training opportunities Safety Outdoors course Inclusion course – including those with disabilities in Health Walks and other outdoor activities Strength and Balance for community walking groups

Safety reminder It is important that walkers have a good explanation of the route and any hazards on the route. Ensure all routes risk assessed Please use the cue cards and Health Walk Agreement – every time

Group discussion – roles and responsibilities Are you all doing the right things before, during and after the walks? Fill in your action plan

Sum up and local updates Health Walk “health check” Welcome & walking update Sum up and local updates Health Walk “health check” Walk Leader Refresher Roles of Walk Leaders Physical Activity Guidelines Write an action plan for your walking project Pace and route update

Time to sum up your action plans Take 10 minutes to go through the action plans and find some actions to take forward Agree who will do these Time for you to discuss your local project and any updates that you need to talk about Time to go out for a practice walk to try out the pace games etc

Look out for your thank you gift! Thank you for attending the Walk Leader Refresher Workshop and for being a Walk Leader Look out for your thank you gift!