The second themed week day focused upon walking. Currently, one-in-ten people walk as their main mode of travel to work (DfT, Transport Trends, 2007). In 2006, workers across the UK each took an average of seven days off sick, resulting in 175 million lost working days and costing the economy �13.4 billion. (CBI, 2007). Just 90 minutes of exercise can cut the number of sick days employees take by half. (Evidence Review, TfL, 2007). According to the International Journal of Obesity, there's a significant link between commuting to work by car and being overweight or obese.

Even those where walking the entire route to work is not possible, getting off the bus or tube a stop or station early and walking the remainder will have positive effects over time.

Our partners for this day were Walking Works and Walkbudi. The Walking Works campaign is one in a series of Living Streets' campaigns that aim to get us all walking more in our daily lives. The campaign is part of a portfolio of projects being delivered by a consortium of the leading walking, cycling and health organisations and is funded by the Big Lottery Fund and Transport for London.

One of the partners for this day provided an overview of the benefits of walking to work and some top tips on how to make the experience more enjoyable.

Overview

Tips

Walking Works aims to encourage more people to walk to and from work, and to walk more during their working day.

For more information about Walking Works, visit their website www.walkingworks.org.uk  

If you're lucky enough to live within walking distance of work, but don't fancy making the journey on your own, you could try registering with www.WalkBUDi.com - a free website which helps people find someone to share their walking journey with.