Only 50% of middle age adult manage more than 1 brisk 10 min walk a month.

I think my parents-in-law would have fit into the category of walking less than 10 minutes a month. Both had mainly sedentary jobs and drove to wherever they were going. Now they both have severe mobility problems and one is a wheelchair user outside the home.

My husband is a regular runner, and in spite of bone-on-bone arthritis in both my knees and ankles I walk every day and on Tuesdays I join a walking group.

Use it or lose it is my motto.

Elegran I was at Saughton Park on Monday. It is, indeed, a lovely place to visit. Cafe packed with Grans too!

Nine years ago I broke a vertebra. Recovery was painful but I was told to keep moving regardless of the pain. I walked for at least half an hour again and eventually got a little rescue dog to ensure I got even more exercise.

Nine years later I am still walking daily. Recent heart tests following a bit of a scare show that there is only minor damage to one artery and I am generally ok heart wise at 75. No one on either side of my family has lived past 72, all dying mostly from strokes and heart attacks.

I could just be lucky, but I am inclined to think it's down to daily exercise come rain or shine.

When I have a hospital appointment, I’m always surprised at the number of overweight nursing staff, considering they are walking about most of the day, but presumably other factors are at work…

My son calls me ‘fattist’, but we do have too many overweight younger people these days, never mind middle aged. I shouldn’t comment as I need to take more exercise but food isn’t a weakness for me, whilst a comfy chair and a good book are.
I walk in the local sand dunes, treading sand is hard work and have a list of pop songs I throw myself round too, even ballet music!
Nevertheless, I need to be more active. Driving leads to laziness whilst my mother, not driving, walked far more and left my sister behind when out walking on holidays.

.

Drive to somewhere flat and full of flowers, with a nice cafe, Aveline. Walk gently around for fifteen minutes or so, smelling the flowers and listening to the birds, then get a reviving cup of coffee in the cafe, avoiding the display of cakes if possible, then drive home again. I'd suggest Saughton Park (the car park is near the cafe, so not far to return to the car, and the gardens are nice)

The are lots of other little parks in town, and many of them have cafes.

Just back from my promised walk. It was awful. No sooner had I started than my hips hurt. I got all out of breath and sweaty on the two hills included in my walk round the block. It was very boring and to cap it all off, although it felt like ages it only took 20 minutes!

We're a cat household. Not a good home for a dog.

Nvella

Get a dog. You have to walk twice a day whatever the weather. It has really helped my lungs

…not if you get a greyhound or a whippet…

Get a dog. You have to walk twice a day whatever the weather. It has really helped my lungs

Well I'm going to force myself to go for a walk this pm. I've nothing much to do so will give it a go. It'll feel like COVID times again. Not a good feeling.

I have arthritis and find walking keeps things moving. I do two walks a day usually and use my Fitbit to ensure I do 13,000 steps a day at least. Most days it’s much more.

M0nica

So presumably 10 minutes on a treadmill at a gym is sufficient.

I can only do 1 mph but do put the gradient up.

So presumably 10 minutes on a treadmill at a gym is sufficient.

Sago

Witzend

IIRC, one of the ‘one things’ advised by Dr Michael Mosley, was to walk for just 15 minutes every day,

IMO the ‘10,000 steps’ advice was very likely counter-productive, in that it very likely made a lot of people think, ‘Well, I’m never going to manage that, so I might as well not bother.’

Oh the irony.

So sad.

Yes, I didn’t want to mention the irony aspect as regards Dr MM…

For M0nica

‘Government studies and the NHS use specific criteria to ensure a walk qualifies as "brisk" and achieves moderate-intensity status:

Pace and Speed: Equivalent to roughly \(3\) miles per hour (mph), which is about a 20-minute mile.

Cadence (Steps): At least \(100\) steps per minute.

The "Talk Test": You can tell your pace is correct if you can still talk to a companion, but you cannot sing the words to a song.’

M0nica

It all depends on definitions. Do they mean people go out with a purpose to specifically take a ten minute walk, or do they mean they happen to walk for 10 minutes as they go about their day?

What about all the other exercise they take: going to the gym, does it include 10 minutes on the tread mill. What about the builders on their feet all day as they reroof our house, or in a shop or a busy warehouse or A&E. last week I was on my feet and moving for three hours. First housework, then decorating then gardening. Does that count or must I top off one of my marathon sessions with a 10 minute walk, for me to be considered to have had exercise.

I am so deeply suspicious of any government attempt to make us take Exercise (with a capital 'E', as distinct from exercise, which is what most of us indulge in, in our normal lives), what they want us to do changes with the latest fad and every government. It wasn't so long ago we were being told that even doing the housework at home was exercise.

I will continue to ignore every government endeavour to improve my health and well being in the approved government manner and will continue to lead the active life I have always led.

But something needs to be done to stop us becoming like America where people drive everywhere. Didn’t Thatcher, along with all the other things she did, sell off school playing fields? I personally think that people need to be educated more in eating healthily but I’m a bit evangelical about it as, even though I can no longer walk outside of the house I’m now at a weight I was pre having children having changed my diet completely ( most of the info coming from instagram).

I think you have hit the nail on the head Monica. Here in Australia we are constantly and nauseatingly told how to live our lives. It really is a ‘nanny’ state and it just makes me want to do the opposite.

Witzend

IIRC, one of the ‘one things’ advised by Dr Michael Mosley, was to walk for just 15 minutes every day,

IMO the ‘10,000 steps’ advice was very likely counter-productive, in that it very likely made a lot of people think, ‘Well, I’m never going to manage that, so I might as well not bother.’

Oh the irony.

So sad.

IIRC, one of the ‘one things’ advised by Dr Michael Mosley, was to walk for just 15 minutes every day,

IMO the ‘10,000 steps’ advice was very likely counter-productive, in that it very likely made a lot of people think, ‘Well, I’m never going to manage that, so I might as well not bother.’

It all depends on definitions. Do they mean people go out with a purpose to specifically take a ten minute walk, or do they mean they happen to walk for 10 minutes as they go about their day?

What about all the other exercise they take: going to the gym, does it include 10 minutes on the tread mill. What about the builders on their feet all day as they reroof our house, or in a shop or a busy warehouse or A&E. last week I was on my feet and moving for three hours. First housework, then decorating then gardening. Does that count or must I top off one of my marathon sessions with a 10 minute walk, for me to be considered to have had exercise.

I am so deeply suspicious of any government attempt to make us take Exercise (with a capital 'E', as distinct from exercise, which is what most of us indulge in, in our normal lives), what they want us to do changes with the latest fad and every government. It wasn't so long ago we were being told that even doing the housework at home was exercise.

I will continue to ignore every government endeavour to improve my health and well being in the approved government manner and will continue to lead the active life I have always led.

Sago

Greyfur
I think you are looking to be offended.

Not at all, I am aware of how fortunate I am.

It’s thinking the ones who don’t actually exercise are more likely to be those working full time with families depending on them because they are flat chat and have no spare time. They would make up for it in other ways,perhaps, rushing around after kids. Silly survey by the sound of it but I am sure they were well paid and it kept them off the streets.

Greyfur
I think you are looking to be offended.

What are the vouchers going to be for? Starbucks coffees? Money off fuel? M&S vouchers?

I have a dog so walk. But I hope the vouchers are for something I'm able to redeem them for.

The thread, and my post, are not about other posters on this thread, and I made that clear greyfur. There is clearly a problem with the fitness of the adult population as a whole, or this initiative would be unnecessary.