A new campaign to show that 'Walking Works' for commuters

 

We already know commuters regularly face more stress than fighter pilots[1], and with government statistics showing we now jump in the car for over a fifth of journeys shorter than one mile, a brand new website is here to help office workers build walking (and some relaxation!) into their daily commute.
 
Walking Works is a campaign from Living Streets, funded nationwide by the Big Lottery Fund and in London by Transport for London. With many of us office bound all day, and increasingly keen to build in some time to exercise, the campaign is highlighting the role that walking can have in bringing some much needed fresh air stretching of legs and time to ourselves into our daily lives.
 
The new website, www.walkingworks.org.uk, allows people to sign up and pledge to increase their walking levels, giving out tips and incentives along the way. And the incentives are pretty big: walking for just 15 minutes daily each way will mean you’ll be hitting the recommended level of activity needed to transform your health, as well as getting some quality time to prepare for the day ahead (or unwind after it!). 
 
And it’s not just individual employees that will be feeling the benefit – studies suggest that just 90 minutes of exercise a week can cut absenteeism levels by up to half.[2]  Encouraging daily walking makes business sense as much as it does health sense, and that’s where Walking Works can get involved. Why not pop a link on your intranet, or read through the great tips for employers featured on the site?
 
Tony Armstrong, Chief Executive of Living Streets, said:
“Walking Works isn’t aiming to make people feel guilty for not doing aerobics every day, or raising eyebrows if people don’t want to start training for a marathon. What we really need to do as a nation is get back in the habit of being active in our daily lives, and walking all or part of the way to work is a fantastic way to do just that.
 
“Encouraging your colleagues to take simple steps such as joining the website and getting great tips, going for lunchtime walks or even experimenting with ‘walking meetings’. In 2006 the average worker took seven days off sick, losing 175 million working days and costing the economy £13.4bn[3]. Improving the health of those working in your organisation is a real and worthwhile way to reduce this burden, and we hope this exciting new campaign can help in that.”
 
For more information contact Lucy Abell, Communications Manager at lucy.abell@livingstreets.org.uk, tel 020 7820 1010.
 
 
 
Notes to editors
 
 
Living Streets’ national Walking Works campaign is part of a portfolio of projects being delivered by a Consortium of the leading walking cycling and health organisations and funded through the Big Lottery Fund's Wellbeing Programme. The Programme provides funding to support the development of healthier lifestyles and to improve well-being.
 
The Consortium is led by Sustrans and includes British Cycling, CTC, Cycling England, Living Streets, London Cycling Campaign, the National Heart Forum, the National Obesity Forum, the Ramblers’ Association, Campaign for Better Transport and Walk 21. It is delivering a portfolio of projects that will enable 2 million people nationwide to become more physically active by walking or cycling as part of their daily lives by 2012.
 
The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004.

[1] Institute of Stress Management and Hewlett Packard, 2004
[2]Evidence Review on Physical Activity, Absenteeism and Productivity
[3] CBI, 2007