Everything you need to know about March4March!

CLICK HERE TO PLEDGE TO WALK AN EXTRA 10,000 STEPS EVERY WEEK FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH

WHAT IS MARCH4MARCH? 

March4March is our brand new mental health campaign launching on Lorraine throughout March to support the 1 in 4 Brits who suffer with low mood. Throughout March, Lorraine will be asking viewers to join the March4March campaign and get Britain moving.

Our goal is to reach at least 3 million steps which will see us metaphorically walk the entire length of the UK collectively.

HOW DO I PLEDGE?

By clicking the pledge button here, you are committing to doing 10,000 extra steps for every week of March.

WHAT’S THE RECOMMENDED DAILY AMOUNT OF EXERCISE? 

We’ve all heard the magic number of 10,000 steps a day, but this figure is actually based on a marketing campaign launched by a step counter company during the 1964 Olympics in Japan. This number was picked because the Japanese character for 10,000 (万) looks like a person walking. 

So what's the right amount of steps? Research has found as few as 2,337 steps a day started to lessen the risk of dying from heart and circulatory diseases, while at least 3,867 steps reduced the risk of dying from any cause.

Above this amount, the researchers found that every extra 1,000 steps a day was linked with a 15 per cent reduction in the risk of dying. For people aged 60 and over, the biggest improvement in health was seen in people taking 6,000 to 10,000 steps, after which the benefits tailed off.

The NHS recommends doing 150 minutes of moderate intensity per week - this includes walking. They say the best way to achieve this is several short sessions across the week and just 10 minutes of walking has health benefits. 

If you’re after more support for your mental health then see our helpline page here.