During the summer many people want to make up for lost time and get outside more to enjoy the sunshine whilst cycling, hiking or perhaps taking long walks. Walking outdoors is such a joy, and apart from being your body’s most natural form of exercise it is also safe, simple, and best of all it costs you absolutely nothing. There’s no doubt about it, walking is really good for your health.

Research has shown that walking can reduce the risk of numerous serious conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, hip fractures and even glaucoma. Medical studies conducted in 2005 discovered that walking builds aerobic fitness at both moderate and high intensity, and a 20 year Nurse’s Health Study found significant decreases in breast cancer and Type II diabetes in women who engaged in ‘brisk’ walking. Read more…

When I first reported the emergence of Swine Flu back in May there had been only 27 reported cases in total throughout the United Kingdom. Last week alone 110,000 new cases were reported nationwide, and although the Health Protection Agency predicts that figures are about to plateau, they also warn there will be ‘a very big surge’ to follow in the autumn.

As it currently stands, an estimated 1 in every 158 people in England are thought to have contracted swine flu since the outbreak began in April. The government has recently admitted that there are now so many cases of swine flu in the UK that the outbreak cannot be contained any longer. Read more…

Juniperus communis belongs to the Cuppressaceae family and is a highly variable species, presenting several morphological and geographical varieties. Juniper is divided into at least two subspecies with frequent intermediates which can differ in habit from a low, spreading bush to a small columnar, single stemmed tree.

Depending upon the geographical variety, the bushy shrub attains a height between 1 and 3 metres (3-10 ft), and the columnar tree occasionally reaches a height of 10m (32 ft). The smaller prostrate form ‘horizontalis’ is native to north-east America and the taller variety ‘erecta’ is very common throughout Europe. Read more…