Happy to not be one of the 6 million adults in the UK not doing 10mins

[Qscout]

Report out today saying that 6million adults in the UK do not do 10 mins of brisk exercise each month.

Really pleased to say thanks to c25k I am not one of them!

[Irishprincess Graduate]

Shocking isn't it?

[Christo262]

Very shocking. We haven't started C25K yet just building up our stamina etc but we have always walked and don't have a car

[Jododds in reply to Christo262]

I'm sure you'll be as fit as a flea!

[HeleneCorsa Graduate]

Each month? How is that even possible? Surely even just walking a bare minimum would take you to more than ten minutes a month (or even, dare I say it, a day).

However I am assuming that the 6 million includes those who are in some way incapacitated either by old age, disability or illness (I have not read the report). Otherwise it is just unthinkable.

[Qscout Graduate in reply to HeleneCorsa]

off the sofa, stumble to the car drive a mile to the shop, drive back and back on to the sofa.

Amazing isn't it. A colleague of mine suffering high blood pressure got prescribed a pedometer by their GP and given a target of 5000 steps a day.

After a few days wearing it he was asking me how many steps I did as he was struggling to get his 5000 a day.

I would be disappointed if I wasn't at 5000 steps by lunchtime.

[HeleneCorsa Graduate in reply to Qscout]

Blimey, so would I!

I walk a lot by choice. I cannot abide being stuck in Rome traffic by car and discovered that the stretch between my kids' school and my workplace takes no longer on foot than it does using the underground system, and I much prefer being out in the open in a beautiful place than crushed on a smelly train with concerns about delays, strikes and so on. It just seems like the easiest way to maintain a basic level of activity during everyday life despite a sedentary job (and also the mental space I crave - it's amazing how much I 'sort out' in my mind during those walks). I think I average about 23,000 steps a day between school/work runs and everyday errands, without this making much of an impact on my busy schedule.

I know that if I was moving so little I would feel dreadful, that horrible combination of sluggishness and restlessness.

[JaySeeSkinny Graduate in reply to HeleneCorsa]

That's a lot of walking! I average just over 12k a day (and have done for at least the last 2 years - or since I got an app to measure it). But that doesn't get me anywhere near 23,000 steps!

[HeleneCorsa Graduate in reply to JaySeeSkinny]

I have been a bit surprised (and I do wonder if my Fitbit lies to me, although it does seem otherwise fairly reliable!).

It would explain why my kids complain about me making them walk so much though! I take them to school by bus but there are fairly long walks to and from the stops. I see so many kids whose lives consist of "home-car-school-car-home".

I am resisting car use as far as is reasonably possible as I think because of where I live I'd spend half my life (and money) trying to park and would always end up parking far from where I need to be anyway. My home, workplace and the kids' schools are all in either pedestrianised zones or areas with stringent traffic limitations.

[Jododds in reply to HeleneCorsa]

It was among the 40-60 age group. Shocking.

[Hidden]

A month... jeepers I had at least tried yoga and dance lessons to keep some level of activity, even though I wasn't running.

I can't imagine being able bodied and not doing 10 minutes a month. No wonder we are often described as the sick man of Europe. If you consider some of the amazing stories we read on here about going from couch to 5K, it seems crazy that our plan isn't routinely mentioned as a good thing to do.

Most inspiring post just yesterday from @RebeccaSK (why won't this app let me tag her anymore?) on the lady doing the Parkruns.

[SC1472 Graduate in reply to Hidden]

I can often walk to my local town market (just over a mile and a half so not far) and see no-one else walking until I reach the town where I see people who have driven less than 300metres!! My ex-neighbour used to drive to work which was less than 30 paces away!

I downloaded the active 10 app today out of interest and had covered 50 minutes brisk walking by 8.15 this morning!

[Hidden in reply to SC1472]

Mmm interesting because we are 5kms away from shops etc we tend to drive because of the hills and heat. I wonder what my distance is on non running days... I think another download is on the cards...

When I'm in London no problem I walk everywhere, but here you e got me thinking.

[SC1472 Graduate in reply to Hidden]

I go with my shopping trolley!! It's uphill there (the highest point above sea level of the underground) and downhill back with the trolley full of fruit and veg (which is also something else we Brits don't do!)

[Amy1931 Graduate]

As a single working parent my weekday mornings consist of a few steps to my car, a drive to breakfast club at the school then off to work where I take a few steps to get to my desk or a meeting room. I would love nothing more than to be able to walk my son to school but the earliest I can drop him off also happens to be the latest time I can leave in my car to get to work on time. The evenings consist largely of:homework, cooking the dinner, eating said dinner, getting my son bathed and into bed with a story. In today's society I can see very easily how this has happened. I don't have many opportunities during the week to walk more than I currently do. I am only able to squeeze in runs at 5:30 in the mornings as my teenage son is in the house to watch my younger son ( typical teen, he's rarely to be seen at home other than to eat/sleep). I try to be as active as possible at weekends though. Not everyone is as time constrained I'm sure but I don't think the demands of modern living help us to be active at all. That said, I too am shocked at the incredibly low average mins per month- would be interested to see the data as it's almost unbelievable.

[SC1472 Graduate in reply to Amy1931]

But Amy1931 you are managing to do more than you are aware of as you are obviously trying to fit in exercise into a really busy schedule which is a LOT more than others are doing.

[Amy1931 Graduate in reply to SC1472]

Thank you, you are right 🙂but I must admit to only having clocked up 2000 steps by lunch time, which is woefully inadequate. I just hope people approach this problem with compassion for others rather than any finger pointing. Hopefully it'll get everyone thinking about moving more and we'll see lots more joining us here at C25k! 😊

[HeleneCorsa Graduate in reply to Amy1931]

You are right, Amy - so much depends on where you are located and the demands on your time. I am in a similar situation to you in that I am alone with my 3 kids (my husband works in another city) and this means traipsing around from school to school before then heading off to work ... but I live in the centre of Rome so doing all this by car just adds more time and unreliability to the school and work runs (much of the centre is not accessible by car or subject to complicated one-way systems and heavy traffic). For instance, school to work takes about the same time regardless of whether or not I walk or use public transport, so I just walk as my feet are more reliable

If I were any further away from the places I need to reach then I too would have to drive everywhere and would really struggle to get out and about. So, trying to squeeze in "incidental activity" is great if you can but not always possible.

Going out running at 5.30 is seriously commendable! Impressive stuff My kids are returning to Rome in a week and I have no idea how I'm going to keep up the running as they are too young to stay home alone - will have to come up with a solution ...

H xx

[JaySeeSkinny Graduate in reply to Amy1931]

I consciously introduced more walking into my life at the beginning of 2015 (more or less doctor's orders). I have always walked though and we've never owned a car. But living in a foreign city with excellent public transport does make it easier. Started getting up 3/4s of an hour earlier to get a 40 min walk in before work and then I added a walk after work to a station further down the line. That gives me minimum 80 mins a day or about 7.5k (I'm slower in the evenings because of all the traffic lights). But my kids are grown up and even when they were young my husband was there. I don't think life is so frenzied over here, and as I said an excellent public transport system helps enormously. I don't know what I would do in your situation, even when the kids were small we still had to go everywhere on foot with them - due to lack of car. And I'm very glad in a way, it has given the kids a basic fitness and the younger one especially will quite happily hike home (about 7k) after a boozy evening.

[Jododds in reply to Amy1931]

I'm so impressed that you can fit in any exercise at all. Good luck!

[CB27LJ10]

I know I laughed at that this morning when I saw it on news. I walk every day anyway always have but now I also run and am proud I've done a bit extra this morning despite my legs arguing about it!

[CarolineCats Graduate]

Hahahaha I thought that too when I read the article, though I did have to convert 3mph into kmph!

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Yeay... you rock! As do we all!

[midgetdisco]

I have a 25 pace commute from my house to my office down the garden after the firm closed my local office, that office was a 12 minute walk away which at least got me doing something before work and after. Now I have to do exercises (and when my mind set is ready start C25K again) in the evening when I can.

People say it must be great working from home but there are a lot of negatives as well.