NHS to reward people for walking 30 minutes a day
Marathon a month scheme set to launch in 2027 to give walkers points and prizes
NHS England will reward people for walking for an average of 30 minutes a day, in a bid to improve general fitness levels.
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The so-called marathon-a-month scheme will launch in 2027, with the idea that 30 minutes of walking for five days a week will add up to 26.2 miles, the full marathon distance, over 30 days.
Olympic medallist Sir Brendan Foster was part of a team of experts to devise a plan to get Brits active to achieve what they claim will add four years of healthy life to the life expectancy of an inactive person.
He said: “The challenge became very simple: can you do a marathon? Not in one day, but over the course of a month.
“The WHO recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity a week. We realised that adds up to roughly the distance of a marathon every month.”
Here is how it will work.
Read also: Sitting for more than 30 minutes a day hikes cancer risk, study finds
How will the NHS reward people for walking?
Initially, the rewards will be digital, but over time they will become material prizes, such as shopping vouchers and shop discounts, according to Sir Brendan.
He said: “Our formula has always been: encourage, challenge, support and reward.
"Initially there’ll be digital rewards, like keeping a streak going for three months. Over time, there’ll be other kinds of rewards – medals, T-shirts, but also discounts and rewards.”
Read also: Obese adults found to have similar heart risk factors to those at healthy weight
Who will get the rewards?
Anyone who walks the 42km or 26.2 miles per month can hit the target - whoever or however active the participant is.
Movement 26.2, as it is officially known, is understood to not have specific targets beyond requiring the participant to walk the distance over the course of the month.
Walkers who clocked up 20 minutes one day, one hour the next and nothing the day after would not lose out.
Sir Brendan said that the target for 2027 is to have 100,000 participants in one month.
How will the walks be regulated?
To take part, participants will be asked to sign up and provide walking data with a smartwatch or phone app.
There is no entry fee or cost involved.
An NHS Points Scheme will officiate the progress, and the points amassed can be swapped for shop discounts and vouchers over time.
The digital incentive will provide a similar stimulus to what is offered to users of fitness apps such as Strava and Garmin.