Donning your walking footwear and getting outdoors regularly is easier to manage if you build it into your daily routine, according to an expert at Natural England.

Dr William Bird, strategic health advisor at the organisation, said there are simple steps you can take to make walking part of everyday life.

"Leaving the car at home whenever possible, getting off the bus or train one or two stops earlier, taking a walk in your lunch break or after work, cancelling the newspaper delivery and walking out to buy a paper each day, are all ways to make exercise easier," he said.

Once successfully incorporated into daily activities, you'll start to reap the many benefits walking in the natural environment can bring.

While the benefits of being active are well known, walking gives "added value", Dr Bird said.

"Walking in a green environment, whether that's by a river or in a park or along a canal tow path in an urban area, where you can hear birds and see trees and nature, allows the brain to restore its level of concentration."

Recent research by University of Illinois environment and behaviour researcher Frances Kuo showed that parks and green environments are essential for human health.