I ONCE heard that the happiest people are those who can walk to work.
I can't remember who told me or on what basis they made the claim, but the idea stuck with me.
It always seemed that there probably was something inherently stressful about commuting, especially for workers faced with lengthy journeys, crammed public transport or hellish traffic jams.
If 50 minutes counts as "walking distance" (and I suspect it does) then
I could be one of those lucky few, though I confess I mostly take the Subway. The lure of a lie-in is just
too tempting.
I am not alone, according to research compiled for Walk To Work Week, which ends tomorrow. In
a survey, 6% of workers said more time in bed was their main reason
for shunning a commute by foot, while 1% said they did not want to ruin their shoes. Others cited bad weather or long working hours.
Yet the same poll found that more than half experienced "undesirable emotions" during their daily commute, ranging from stress and anxiety to anger or panic and,
in 5% of cases, physical sickness. Anyone who has experienced the
cold, clammy hand of dread around their heart as the bus weirdo
makes a beeline for them will surely understand.
Add to that the £129 million meted out by British commuters ever year for this time-saving but dubious pleasure, not to mention the hazards of a sedentary lifestyle, and you have to wonder why more of us are not hitting the pavement instead.
According to the Walk To Work survey, those who did felt less stressed and more productive.
Obviously not everyone can walk to work, but those of us who can need
to face up to potential benefits - both physically and financially.
In my case, I spend £650 a year on Subway tickets. That could fund return plane tickets to Las Vegas instead.
Better still are the potential health benefits. This week it emerged a brisk 20-minute stroll a few times a week can cut blood pressure and increase your lifespan.
Professor Peter Elwood, who led the research at Cardiff University, said: "In a 35-year study of 2500 men in Caerphilly, South Wales, we have found that spending half an hour walking on most days is associated
not just with a reduction in the
risk of death, but also a reduction
in cognitive decline and dementia.
"Exercise does not just add years
to life, but adds life to years."
And if that is not enough to make you cast off your travelcard and
reach for the trainers, then what about the news that a lack of
exercise in your 30s increases your risk of developing heart disease
in later life more than any other
risk factor - including excess
weight, smoking or high blood pressure.
Australian researchers concluded that if every woman aged 30 to 90 achieved 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, the lives of more than 2000 middle-aged and older women could be saved each year in Australia alone.
So that is health, happiness and more trips to Vegas. I think I could
be persuaded.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article