NHS to reward people who walk 30 minutes a day
BBC News 2026-07-03 14:22:55
Context: The NHS in England is launching a new scheme to encourage people to walk for 30 minutes a day, with participants eligible for rewards if they complete the challenge. The scheme, developed in partnership with Olympic medallist Sir Brendan Foster, aims to get people walking regularly and promote physical activity. The goal is to sign up more than 100,000 people and make walking a habit through "streak" culture.
Key Facts
- The NHS-backed scheme will launch early next year, with a "marathon a month" challenge asking people to walk for around 30 minutes a day, which translates to roughly 26 miles a month.
- Users will be able to log their walks online, or through their phone or smartwatch, and those who complete the challenge will be eligible for rewards, including incentives and discounts.
- Physical inactivity is associated with one in six deaths, according to NHS England, and a person is classified as physically inactive if they do less than 30 minutes of moderate-intensity equivalent physical activity per week.
- A survey by Sport England showed that in the year to November 2025, nearly a quarter of adults, or around 12 million people, were physically inactive.
- If someone walks 30 minutes five times a week, they could gain up to four extra years of healthy life, according to Sir Brendan Foster.