Apparently the government is going to review the step count of people, checking they are doing enough to get them back to work!?
I love walking, now much slower doe to health issues. Made me wonder how this might affect us and/or our careers? My son with L D loves going for a walk, but carers take him shopping in Bournemouth not out into the New Forest, on his doorstep. He needs someone with him due to his LD, but hours cut.
Alternatively, it could be a good thing. What are your thoughts?
My phone records my steps. Average is above the recommended 10,000 a day, and usually around 12K - 13K. The best I achieved with Roco was almost 20K on a lovely sunny day when we both tramped across the fields for a couple of hours.
I find if I visit our local Tesco I walk a few thousand extra as it is a trudge from the car park (underneath) and then round the huge building before back to the car park. Interestingly it doesn’t seem that far when I am doing it (distraction of all the “pretty things” I suppose!!)
If a Caree needs to get exercise and yet the hours of Support are cut then it’s clear what will suffer. Great that sort of thing isn’t considered as getting out into fresh air and simple exercising like walks can really boost ANYONE’S mental health.
The 10,000 steps things was never scientifically verified. It was a general recommendation (like the 8 glasses of water thing) that sort of made sense. More recent studies have found that a minimum number of steps needed for general health is around 4,000 steps, but that the health benefits of walking further increase by approximately 10% for every 2,000 further steps up to around 10,000. After that the health benefits plateau.
Because we don’t get out much for leisure (i.e walks in the park, etc.), my step count average is lower than @Chris_22081 - no dog walks. During lockdown, making even 3,000 steps average was difficult, but in the last year I’ve got the average up to just over 5,000 and I’m targeting 6-7,000 by finding ways to increase activity in the house as well as getting out for leisure more. Gill doesn’t know it yet, but as the weather improves, she’ll be getting more outings to parks, etc.
The trips into town have been a help, actually. I can add a few thousand steps easily, and if I’m pushing the wheelchair, I even get a bit of cardio thrown in…
Not sure how many steps I do a day. But I do walk to the paper shop or Co-op every day to get the paper. I also do between 20-40 mins on a stationary exercise bike. So I think that I probably do a fair amount as up and down the stairs a lot.
I totally agree that getting out into the fresh air boosts mental health. For me, it also involves saying hello to the dog walkers and this social contact at time has been and remains a life saver. It also makes me do my hair and makeup. So in theory, I think the government has a right to expect those receiving benefits should take reasonable steps to keep themselves healthy and available for work? But not sure how it will be ‘policed’ and that is where my main reservation lies.
Before I had this issue with heart, I was building up my steps, once out was enjoying the walk. Sometimes a different route. Passing some lovely detached houses and often wondered what inside is like. I’m so disappointed that at the moment I can’t do these longer walks but hopefully can build up again.
@bowlingbun I suggest having the NHS app on a phone that doesn’t move
I glanced briefly at the article, on any app its poss to switch off the step count but obvs we need the NHS app on
Just trying to think of side-step solutions
also we need to ask Carers UK et al to reaffirm that the government are side-stepping paying us more or at all plus per quote from the press release by Carers UK CEO Helen Walker ‘The value of unpaid caring is estimated to be worth 162 billion a year – the equivalent of a second NHS. As the UK gets ready for a General Election, any future Government must prioritise the needs of unpaid carers’ - and so it’s better to not prod the bear
if ‘government’ wants us back at work, they need would have a MUCH bigger issue on their hands
https://www.carersuk.org/press-releases/chancellor-s-spring-budget-falls-short-of-supporting-millions-of-unpaid-carers/
Do you ask or tell them to take him on country walks? My daughter’s new PA accompanies her on lots of long walks already. All she did before was wander around shops. They walk briskly now and I am sure I can already see a little weight loss.
wouldn’t bloomin’ hurt them would it?
It’s part of M’s care plan. He’s on a different boundary of the New Forest, so many beautiful places. After 4 years, staff are going to sort out the bike situation. He will be so pleased.