The 2km a Day Walking Challenge

I frequently hear that "time" is a barrier to exercise compliance. Another common issue with exercise is that, some people don't know if they're exercising hard enough. So I have thought of a novel way to increase the appropriate amount of physical activity for those who need it... THE 2KM WALKING CHALLENGE! The World Health Organisation recommends 150mins of moderate-intensity exercise per week. For some, 150mins per week seems insurmountable, but when you break it down, it works out to be only 22mins per day. The beauty is, is that 22mins can be broken down into 10min blocks. And herein lies the challenge... Researchers have discovered that to walk at a moderate-intensity, you have to walk at roughly 5km/hr (3miles/hr). At this pace, it will take 12mins to walk 1km. 

So if you can find a way to continuously walk 1km to and from work everyday (or to school, or to uni, or to the shops, or to the park, or to your favourite cafe for a smashed avo on toast), you will be walking 2kms for 24mins a day (168mins p/wk) and exceeding the World Health Organisation weekly moderate-intensity exercise guidelines by 18mins per week!! 

You're welcome World... So please get around the 2km walking challenge, and please share widely! Exercise doesn't have to be difficult or expensive to achieve good long term health outcomes. It just needs to be consistent and sustainable. Exercise is medicine. How much will you do today? Links: 1) Marshall et al (2009) https://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/research-and-journals/study-shows-moderate-intensity-walking-means-100-steps-per-minute 2) Slaght et al (2017) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5387837/