Inactivity..."the silent killer"

On 11th July, the Department for Health (DH) and NHS released a new report on the benefits of physical activity and the risks from inactivity.  The'Start Active, Stay Active - A report on physical activity for health from the four home countries’ Chief Medical Officers' document  highlights that 

"whatever our age, there is good scientific evidence that being physically active can help us lead healthier and even happier lives. We also know that inactivity is a silent killer."

For adults (19–64 years) the report recommends that (page 7):

1. Adults should aim to be active daily. Over a week, activity should add up to at least 150 minutes (2½ hours) of moderate intensity activity in bouts of 10 minutes or more – one way to approach this is to do 30 minutes on at least 5 days a week.
 

2. Alternatively, comparable benefits can be achieved through 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity spread across the week or a combination of moderate and vigorous intensity activity.
 

3. Adults should also undertake physical activity to improve muscle strength on at least two days a week.
 

4. All adults should minimise the amount of time spent being sedentary (sitting) for extended periods.

The report recognises the varied benefits that could be achieved by increasing the number of people choosing to cycle and walk and notes that:

"cycling and walking will reduce transport costs, save money and help the environment. Fewer car journeys can reduce traffic, congestion and pollution, improving the health of communities. Other potential benefits linked to physical activity in children and young people include the acquisition of social skills through active play (leadership, teamwork and co-operation), better concentration in school and displacement of anti-social and criminal behaviour." [Page 9]

Also welcome, is the recognition that for most people the "easiest and most acceptable forms of physical activity are those that can be incorporated into everyday life." Such as cycling instead of travelling by car. 

Table 4 below (page 18) shows the amount of calories a person would 'burn' if they cycle at  'moderate' (10-12mph) or 'vigourous' (12-14 mph) speeds for 30 minutes. (Editor... no wonder I am always hungry!).

It is great to see that the Department of Health and NHS are promoting clear guidance on the wide ranging benefits of increasing the numbers of people choosing to walk or cycle. But as the report also recognises (Creating towns and cities for cycling).... "Central to this is the need for cycling to be prioritised as part of local authority transport plans." (Emphasis added).  The challenge now is to translate the clear health (and environmental) benefits into a progressive strategy to improve the active travel (walking and cycling) facilities and culture in Greater Manchester.  The recent successful Local Sustainable Transport Fund bid could help with this, but compared to many European and North American cities - we still have a long way to go.