Brits should not be using large Christmas dinners, dark nights and snow as excuses not to get in some fitness training this week, according to one keen walker.

Putting on your boots and heading out for a walk is the ideal way to burn off some calories as you can walk at your own pace, explains Ruth Somerville of Ramblers.

Furthermore, it can be enjoyed by all ages and will get people talking, she continues.

"Instead of the family slouching round the telly on a post-pie sugar rush slump, you'll be out getting the oxygen and serotonins whizzing round your bodies and minds.

"This will make you talk more, laugh more, digest the food a bit and ultimately get a better night's sleep," Ms Somerville commented.

She likens walking to a wonder drug, pointing out that it can cut obesity, reduce diabetes and cardiovascular disease and also prove useful to older people as it helps prevent osteoarthritis.

"Walking is one of the most accessible forms of exercise known to humankind; just 30 minutes brisk walking a day, five times per week is enough to keep you fit," Ms Somerville added.

She urges people to enjoy a walk whenever they can - by using their feet rather than their cars to get to work, the shops or school, highlighting the mental benefits of exercise.

"It also lifts your mood, stimulates your brain and helps you learn to love your environment too.

"Beyond all these though, is the undeniable fact that walking is a really good and cheap way of spending your leisure time."

The Change4Life campaign, backed by Concept2, urges all Brits to head out for a Christmas afternoon walk, saying that if everyone did this, families in England could walk a combined 50 million miles in just one day.