Stop driving to the gym
Going about our daily lives actively is far better for us than the lifestyle the leisure industry is pushing.
In the UK, exercise has become a commodity: sign up to gym membership, finance that shiny new car to take you there three times a week, and don't forget some selfie-ready kit to run indoors on the treadmill. Fancy cycling with the family at the weekend? Load the bikes onto the expensive roof rack and head to one of those old railway paths, or to a mountain bike trail in the forest.
Now I like a ride in the forest as much – or possibly more – than the next person. But we seem to have lost our minds. How can physical activity be something you need to drive to? When did we forget about the journey? After all, we just need to walk out of the front door to get some exercise. And we should do exactly this, because it’s the small movements of everyday life, researchers have found, that are part of the secret to longevity in the world’s so-called Blue Zones.