Walk to Work

The headlines these days seem to focus around one particular subject - energy! There is an energy crisis; the global price of oil is rocketing and global warming is here. It seems like the world is full of energy addicts and we can’t get enough of the stuff, but in our desire for more, we appear to be ruining ourselves and destroying the planet too!

Now I know that this is a simplistic argument, but now I’ve got your attention, perhaps we should look to see whether there is a link between our energy wants, and whether in fact we actually need less than we think.

So what does all this have to do with walking to work I hear many of you say? Well, many of our current health and lifestyle problems have arisen from the fact that we eat too much and exercise too little - in other words too much energy in and too little energy out. Hence we have:

• World record high levels of obesity






• Rising levels of type II diabetes






• Rising levels of bowel cancer






• Rising levels of vascular disease






• One in three people suffering from a mood disorder

And the list goes on.

The key to so many of these problems is regular physical activity and that’s what makes ‘walk to work’ such a ridiculously good idea. Not only do we increase the amount of energy we burn and thereby over time reduce our weight, but we’re also reducing the amount of oil we need for our cars, which means that we’re saving the dollars in our pockets too.

Now before you call me a Luddite with naive ideas, I am not advocating that people should sell their cars and walk everywhere; in this beautiful country in high summer, even waiting for a bus in the middle of the day can become a health hazard! What I am suggesting is that we think more about how and when we use our cars and how walking more is not only good for you, it’s actually more fun than driving. So drive to work, but set out earlier and find a car-park a bit further away from where you work and walk from there. At the weekends, think about walking or cycling to your local shopping centre for those extras that you forgot at the big supermarket.

And all this walking is not just for grown-ups, talk to other parents in your children’s classes and think about forming ‘walking buses’, it’s great for the kids and it helps you as a parent to interact with the children with whom your child will spend a great deal of their time over 12 years (and that experience can be a real eye-opener!).

And for all those grey couch potatoes who think they may have escaped scot free in the walking stakes, you are a primary target for we health providers who advocate physical activity as a part of overall health care. Older people suffer more challenges than most and being physically fit and well makes life easier, it also keeps that heart and circulation strong as well as your bones and brain.

The energy crisis that faces not only the world, but each of us as individuals can be overcome if every plays their part, so to get you started, think about taking that all important first step this October when Walk to Work Day comes around: I know I will!

For more information on Walk to Work day visit www.walk.com.au