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

I can’t walk outside of my house. This is from being someone that walked everywhere, never used lifts etc. It really worries me. I’m shocked at that statistic, though. I always thought that we’d follow America health/obesity wise though and sad to see it happen.

dogsmother

I enjoy my walking too, refuse to count steps as it becomes a bit obsessive and unnecessary in my view. I do occasionally look at the counter. In my phone as it’s usually with me, but at one point I was wearing a fitness watch so I didn’t miss any steps and that I think was too much.

I recently counted (myself, not with any gadget) over 900 steps just to the bus stop, which isn’t far.

Besides actual walks, I get more exercise courtesy of my bus pass, than I ever did walking back and forth to the car!

Ten minutes a month? I do more than that most days. In fact, a walk for me is between one and two hours. And I'm physically active even if I don't leave the house.

I do understand of course how someone's lack of mobility, through illness / disability, affects their ability to go for a brisk walk. Or a walk at all. But if someone is physically capable of walking, it's in their interest to do so. Muscle wastage as we get older is something we should try to combat if able to do so.

I walk my dog daily and swim in an outdoor pool every evening,bar Christmas Day,about 1,000 m,also swim once a week in a quarry.I am 78,it is really vital to keep moving.Most of my friends have mobility issues,but not one of them does any exercise.

Always my favourite poem

Observations
1. We are mostly not «middle aged» that ship sailed around 60+. Wake up and smell the coffee!
2. Not everybody is in a hurry. Who walks around with a shopping trolley to burn calories?
3. Anybody spending more than 5 minutes with grandchildren (unless babes in arms) is burning calories! Even with tinies, we’re striding out with prams or buggies to get the little dears off to sleep. If dawdling, it’s to talk to them, pointing out horsies, doggies,trees, flowers or little lambs in fields.
4.As they say, not every disability is visible -so slower walkers might be trying to remember where the heck they parked the car, whether they remembered the yogurt or getting their breath back.
So while I believe that many people do not take a brisk walk for exercise, I see plenty scurrying to and from trains, buses or the underground, trying not to be mown down by cyclists or getting across the road ahead of the traffic. If asked, they would probably not class this as exercise though
.
Finally ( and phew, at last!)

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

My DH is disabled but can and must walk with the aid of his stick and my arm every day, we were avid walkers before his stroke and though we don’t get very far we do several short walks a day, extending the route every time if we can.
Were told it is essential to brain recovery and in general good physical and mental health to walk, of course some are unable to but even those who struggle like my DH should be trying to walk. To begin with, in hospital, he was coached, urged, and cajoled into an upright position, and then to walk with a wheelie frame, one painful step every minute or so. This was over a 2 month period. The reason they do this is because anyone who works in the health system knows that walking is key to recovery and also to good health.
If my DH can do this, one faltering step after another, those more able bodied should be out there walking as often and as briskly as they can. If time is the problem they could try just walking to places nearby they would normally drive to.

I do a fair bit of walking on and off the golf course . Last week we were on holiday in Puglia on an escorted tour walking every day. i already had bursitis and tendonitis but stupid me went ahead when Dh would have liked to cancel the holiday. So I am paying for it now. I juts hope it settles down if I am careful for a while. Too much walking can be a bad thing in my case.

We walk about 4 miles most days. Used to be more but getting on a bit now!

I have two sons. One doesn't have a car and walks everywhere,
the other doesn't walk much at all.

You can tell by looking at them which is which!

I have arthritis in both hips but still walk for an hour on most days. I used to be able to walk for longer.
I have always done quite a lot of walking and did a job that was mostly on my feet all day.
I always found it funny that people would park as close to the entrance of shops even the gym to avoid walking.

Never mind ‘middle age’.

I go to aquacise classes, I bet I am much fitter than some of the younger ones there, probably in their 30’s, 40’s, 50’s. (I’m in the 70’s category).

They just don’t do much, very lethargic, I know it’s up to us how much we put into it, but honestly…..

I never really think about what I’m doing exercise-wise, it bores me silly, but I spend quite a lot of time chasing after my two cats and my GC. Also this week I’ve been moving very briskly avoiding the rain - I got doused five times in two days on Tuesday/wed!

I’m off to a playpark later on with three children as the holidays have begun here in Scotland - that’ll keep me on the go.

What next, though - vouchers for getting out of bed??

I enjoy my walking too, refuse to count steps as it becomes a bit obsessive and unnecessary in my view. I do occasionally look at the counter. In my phone as it’s usually with me, but at one point I was wearing a fitness watch so I didn’t miss any steps and that I think was too much.

I got so fed up during lockdown having to do a half hour walk every day. I was thoroughly sick of all our local routes. My step count averages out at 8000 steps a week and this includes three Aquafit sessions. I also do 700+ active minutes a week. We're supposed to do 75 or 150 less strenuous minutes.
Remaining inactive for 30 minutes at a time has shown to reduce life expectancy so I get up and move about doing ordinary activities every once in a while if reading or watching TV.

I'm shocked by that figure too. I do have O/A which I just try to ignore and walk every day rain and shine around 40 mins a day try to take different route most days I turn on Merlin so its listening for birds as I walk, my favourite walk is following the brook that runs nearby until the vegetation takes over and a machete is needed to hack my way along the bank 😂. We all need to walk more just a stroll to the end of the road to start you off, you might find you actually enjoy it.

Being retired I try and take a daily walk for an hour up a deep lane in the woods then down a field. Being sheltered with the trees it is possible when it rains and during the hot spell.

I’m recovering from chronic fatigue thst followed a series of infections in February. I usually walk two or three miles a day but that’s impossible. I’m managing a gentle half hour but I’m shocked by how quickly my leg muscles diminished by days when I sat or dosed much of the time

Walking is usually a real pleasure. Anyway onwards and upwards, I’ll be strolling with the dogs in half an hour

I do, and I don’t believe that more than 50% of able bodied people don’t, to be honest, surely everybody is rushing somewhere at least once a month unless they are already disabled or elderly?