New research published today to mark the start of National Walk to Work Week shows an alarming level of stress amongst Britain's office workers, as the Nation's office-bound workforce don't feel able to fit stress-busting activity into their daily lives.

Although a clear majority of respondents are aware that exercise can make them feel less stressed, those glued to their desks for long periods of time are less likely to incorporate physical activity into their working day, either by walking during their lunch break or on their commute to and from work. A mere 24% of office workers manage 15 minutes walking as part of their commute to and from work combined.

This week is the first ever national Walk to Work Week, and Living Streets is urging workers and bosses across the UK to take a big step to lower workplace stress levels, by simply doing more daily walking. Incorporating exercise into your daily routine is an excellent way to reduce your stress levels and can be as simple as walking during your lunch break or even having a walking meeting. A survey by the charity Mind found that 83% of people with mental health problems have used physical activity to help lift their mood and reduce stress - and by far the easiest and most common activity is walking. In fact, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends that physical activity should be encouraged as a significant intervention to promote good mental health .

When times are hard, making it easy to take a break from the PC to walk more is an ideal way for managers to encourage a healthy, happy staff team and get the most from their employees. Stress in the workplace is frequently cited as the number one issue affecting productivity, with the cost to the British economy being estimated at £3.7 billion a year. Yet despite this, 61% of respondents to the survey feel that their employer does nothing to encourage physical health or mental wellbeing in the workplace.

Walking Works, a Living Streets campaign funded by the Big Lottery Fund and in London by Transport for London, aims to change this. www.walkingworks.org.uk is full of ideas on how to fit walking into your life, as well as how to take part in National Walk to Work Week.

Tony Armstrong, Chief Executive of Living Streets said:

"Even we were shocked by the results of this research. It's not surprising that in a time of financial instability people put an enormous amount of time into their work, but we are very concerned that they are forgetting to look after themselves. 49% of respondents admit to eating ‘al desko' 3 times a week or more, without so much as a breath of fresh air during their working day.

"Incorporating walking into your daily routine is an excellent way to relieve the symptoms of stress. Being active doesn't have to mean costly gym sessions, or marathon running attempts - it can be as simple as stepping outside for a lunchtime walk, or getting off the bus a few stops earlier on your way into the office. That time spent walking, whether on your own or with colleagues, is a chance to take a step back from your inbox, breaking up your day and improving your productivity once you return.

"We are urging everyone to give it a go during Walk to Work Week this year. We think you'll be amazed at what a difference a short blast of fresh air can do for you, not just to improve your physical health, but also your mental wellbeing."

Sally Reichardt, Get Moving Project Manager at Mind said:

"We fully support Walk to Work Week and many Mind employees are taking part. It's great to see innovative ways of helping others to easily incorporate physical activity into their daily routine. As part of our Get Moving campaign, led by Mind and Rethink, we are always encouraging people to pledge to increase their energy levels. Being active has been proven to benefit mental and physical wellbeing, and it needn't involve expensive gym memberships. Walking to work will help keep your mind and body healthy, plus, it can save you money too!"

To find out more about Walk to Work, please visit, http://www.walkingworks.org.uk/walk-to-work-week-2009

For more information contact Anna Powell, Press Officer at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , tel: 020 7377 4914. For any out of hours press enquires, please call 07545 209865

Notes to editors

• 69% of commuting trips are made by car, with only 11% made on foot. (Department for Transport)
• Almost 3 in 10 employees will have a mental health problem in any one year (Mind: ‘Stress and Mental Health in the Workplace', 2005)
• Stress caused by work is the second biggest occupational health problem in the UK, after back problems (Health and Safety Executive, An Assessment of Employee Assistance & Workplace Counselling Programme in British Organisations, 1998)
• Over a third of respondents (37%) to our survey say that they feel pressurised to stay at their desks for the majority of the day
• Men are more likely to have desk lunches than women, with 57% of men having a desk lunch 3 times a week or more in comparison to 41% of women
• 53% of those who spend between 6 and 8 hours at their desk at work have been reduced to tears as a result of stress
• 47% of people have experienced difficulty sleeping and over half admit to having taken a day off work as a direct result of the stress they are under
• Only 7% of people get out walking for at least 15 minutes during their lunch break each working day
• 48% of people don't know if stress is considered a mental health problem
• Over three quarters (77%) of respondent's claim that their employer doesn't provide any measures to reduce stress in the workplace. Of those that do, mentoring systems, flexible working and gym and leisure facilities were the most common

For more information about the research findings, please contact Anna Powell on 020 7377 4914 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Further Information

Living Streets' Walking Works campaign is an England-wide communications programme, with specific funding for London. Our aims are to encourage employees to walk more as part of their daily commute, to help employers to promote walking and to share best practice. Visit www.walkingworks.org.uk for more information.

Living Streets' national Walking Works campaign is part of a portfolio of projects being delivered by a Consortium of the leading walking, cycling and health organisations and funded through the Big Lottery Fund's Wellbeing Programme. The Programme provides funding to support the development of healthier lifestyles and to improve well-being.

The Consortium is led by Sustrans and includes British Cycling, CTC, Cycling England, Living Streets, London Cycling Campaign, the National Heart Forum, the National Obesity Forum, the Ramblers' Association, Campaign for Better Transport and Walk 21. It is delivering a portfolio of projects that will enable 2 million people nationwide to become more physically active by walking or cycling as part of their daily lives by 2012.

The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004.

Living Streets, celebrating its 80th birthday this year, is the national charity that stands up for pedestrians. With our supporters we work to create safe, attractive and enjoyable streets, where people want to walk.

We have been the national voice for pedestrians throughout our 80 year history. In the early years, our campaigning led to the introduction of the driving test, pedestrian crossings and 30mph speed limits. Since then our ambition has grown. Today we influence decision makers nationally and locally, run successful projects to encourage people to walk, and provide specialist consultancy services to help reduce congestion and carbon emissions, improve public health, and make sure every community can enjoy vibrant streets and public spaces.

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Telephone: 020 7377 4900