This week is Walk To School week and if you and your children are participating we congratulate you for taking up the challenge.
Inactivity is gripping our nation and our health is suffering. As chiropractors in our busy clinic in Stoke on Trent we see this with a rise in the number of patients we treat that are experiencing back pain as a result of their lifestyles, which is increasingly sedentary. Unfortunately our children and young people are not immune to the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle.
Therefore, taking any opportunity to increase the amount of activity we and our children take every day is good for us.
According to Living Streets, who organise the Walk to School campaign every year, a generation ago 70% of us walked to school, now it’s less than half.
The increase in driving our children to school also has other negative consequences including the rise of the number of cars on the road during the school run periods which in turn impacts the levels of air pollution and congestion around schools. A benefit of walking to school that may be overlooked is that it gives us time to chat with our children.
Of course as parents of children we are concerned by their safety, Living Streets also campaigns for better and safer roads.
Why not fit in some exercise and leave the car at home or even 10 minutes away from the school gates?