Walking or wheeling (using a wheelchair) are great travel options and are also the most accessible. Walking costs nothing, whilst wheeling makes the benefits of active travel more accessible.
Small steps add up – choosing to walk or wheel just one mile to the shops and back once a week rather than drive will give you fuel savings of £19 a year. Carrying shopping bags home also has health benefits as it helps build strength, keeping muscles, bones and joints strong.
For tips on walking, why not check out these resources?
Walking and wheeling are a free and accessible way to be physically active in your daily life. Here are some of the brilliant benefits:
- Improve your physical health - regular walking or wheeling reduces your chance of type 2 diabetes by 40%, cardiovascular disease by 35%, joint and back pain by 25%, and certain cancers by 20%.
- Great for your mental health and wellbeing - walking and wheeling can contribute to improved sleep, help to manage stress and reduce your risk of depression by 30%.
- Save money - walking or wheeling is free! Reducing car use by a quarter can save on average £295 a year in fuel costs.
- Better for the environment – if you choose to walk or wheel just one mile a week instead of driving, you’ll save up to 30kg of carbon dioxide emissions a year.
- Contribute to your local community - replacing car journeys with walking or wheeling reduces harmful levels of air and noise pollution, as well as congestion.
- Explore and get social - whether alone or as a group, being out and about in nature and your community can make active travel enjoyable and bring social benefits. You may even find a new favourite walk or wheel and make a friend!