22nd January – Active transport

Use active transport whenever possible.

We may not be going out and about much at the moment due to lockdown, but when you do need to go out for those essential journeys, instead of jumping in the car, use transport which gets you moving.

Physical activity doesn’t have to be formal “exercise” with special outfits or footwear, and it doesn’t need to be in a gym or class (or a virtual gym or online zoom class these days!). Fitting activity into the course of your day can count just as much as doing dedicated “workouts”. The easiest way to do active travel is to walk, but the kids also like to bike or scoot to school, anything counts as long as it’s active! The key is to make sure you are walking fast enough to count as moderate exercise. You should aim to raise your heart rate slightly – you should feel your breathing just a little bit quicker and you should feel warm. If you’re not sure your walking counts as ‘brisk’ then try downloading the NHS “active 10” app, it tracks your activity and tells you how much walking you have done each day, and how much of that was brisk. I tried it, and realised I usually amble along rather slowly (I blame the kids!). Using the app definitely encouraged me to pick up my pace!

Active transport is green transport too. About 1 in 5 journeys in the UK are less than 1mile, and just under 2 in 5 are under 2miles. For those shorter journeys, by the time I’ve got the car loaded with kids and their kit, it’s usually just as quick to walk. And for an extra feel-good bonus, being person-powered is more environmentally friendly, so we’re doing a little bit of good for the community and the planet.