There are many viable alternatives to the car when commuting to work, buses, trains, bike, but have you ever considered walking to work? Walking is not only convenient, reliable and free but also a great benefit to your physical and mental wellbeing. Can you walk to work? Is walking to work a real option for you?
If your commute distance is reasonable, you can definitely walk to work. At an average walking pace, 4 miles (6.4 km) will take approximately 1 hour, potentially a shorter time than your current car journey with bad traffic. However long your commute takes, walking can have significant benefits and advantages.
Before you consider whether walking to work is a good choice for you, there are a number of factors to consider, and walking to work will not be for everyone. Read on before making your mind up about this less common, but truly accessible alternative commuting method.
Get Your Daily Exercise Walking to Work
Walking can sometimes be an overlooked form of exercise but can bring a whole host of benefits from building stamina and burning calories to making a significant contribution to a healthier heart. It is a great way to become more active generally so why not bake this simple fitness into your normal, daily commute.
The NHS advises that a brisk 10-minute daily walk has loads of health benefits and you do not have to be walking for significant distances to really start to feel the effects. A couple of miles walk can really benefit overall health.
Livestrong declares in their article that if a daily fitness walk could be packed in a pill, it would be one of the most popular prescriptions in the world!! It is really that good!!
Combining a love of walking, into a daily commute routine can really start to make long term improvements to your health. Other health indicators include reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, improved muscular endurance and improved bone strength, which could help fight the onset of osteoporosis.
The impact walking can have on weight control (when combined with appropriate diet and nutrition) can also aid lower blood pressure and increased energy levels throughout the day, not to mention the range of benefits daily activity can bring to your mental wellbeing. Mental health benefits range from improved mood, sleep quality, memory, cognitive function and can reduce the likelihood of dementia.
According to Walking for Health, in older people, staying active can improve cognitive function, memory, attention and processing speed, and reduce the risk of cognitive decline. It really is a good thing for everyone!@
The benefits of a daily walk are plain to see and by incorporating this into your commute, you can get your daily fix without really noticing and make it much more habitual.
Distance, Walking Speed and Commute Time
So with all these benefits, we should all be walking to work, right?
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Your commute distance plays a key part here, we don’t have unlimited time to get into work each day and we don’t all want to have to leave the house at 5 am to tackle our longer commute bought on by the decision to walk.
It is easy to see why this is less of an option for some people who do not live close to their workplace but should this be a blocker?
It is reported that the average person can walk between 3 and 4 mph (approximately 6.4 km/h. The table below shows the effect of this pace on your commuting time.
| Commute Distance | Time at 3 mph | Time at 4 mph |
| 1 mile | 20 minutes | 15 minutes |
| 3 miles | 1 hour | 45 minutes |
| 5 miles | 1 hour 40 minutes | 1 hour 15 minutes |
| 7 miles | 2 hours 20 minutes | 1 hour 45 minutes |
Distance plays a key role in determining walking to work as a genuine option. With a more brisk walk these times can be reduced but then you may have to contend with sweat and other issues which may not be desirable.
So if your commute distance is a factor, it may mean walking to work just isn’t viable for you. There may be a middle ground though.
Only Walk Some of the Way
Taking the car part way and walking the rest can be a good way to add walking into your daily commute routine. This would reduce your transport bills and improve your health all at once! Win-win right? Just pick a car park further away from work, this is generally a good healthy habit to adopt so why not try it?
Alternatively, you could opt for public transport and just walk the sections on both sides of the commute. This is viable if you live near to a good bus route or close to the train station and work within walking distance at the other end.
Combine Alternative Commute Methods
You could look to combine alternative commute methods such as cycling part of the way and then walking the rest. This would reduce the time but does have the disadvantage of finding a secure location for your bike outside of the work place.
Combining walking and cycling would also reduce the additional health impact as cycling and walking can be considered fairly comparable with regards physical exercise and so riding all the way would be a preferable option just from a speed perspective.
Running and walking may be a good way to go here. If you can run all the way then great, but if you can’t, combining walking with a run would reduce the commute time and have more significant benefits due to the further elevated heart rate on the running sections so it is worth considering as a potential option.
Walking to Work Gear
The good news about walking to work is you don’t need much specialist gear. You can walk in the clothes you wear for the day, a steady walk shouldn’t make you sweat too much unless its a really hot day. The only thing you may need is a good pair of trainers and some waterproof clothes to combat the changeable weather.
Therefore all you will need to get going is;
- A waterproof coat – which will keep out the wind and rain
- Waterproof trousers – to protect the lower half, often neglected
- Waterproof trainers or walking shoes – to ensure you have a comfortable walk and prevent slips
- A bag to carry your things – waterproof and comfortable
In very cold conditions you may need a hat and gloves but this type of thing will already be owned by potential walkers in these cold climates. Make sure you don’t cheap out on this. There is minimal need for gear with a walking commute and you should spend a little more to ensure you arrive warm and dry.
This list obviously will depend on the type of route you take, the time of the year and many other factors but you get the idea.
Our Top Picks – Walking to Work Gear
- Mountain Warehouse Men’s Waterproof Jacket
- Regatta Women’s Lexia Waterproof Jacket
- Silent Care Waterproof Walking Shoes
- Fandare Unisex Messanger Bag
- No Label Roll Top Backpack
Walking to Work Safety
There are many tips published on staying safe when walking, this article from Walking for Health is great and gives good advice to get you started.
It is likely that your commute will be early in the morning or in the late evening. Key things to look out for to ensure you remain safe are:
- Traffic – when crossing roads and potentially walking on the road, watch out for traffic as you will be walking during really busy times of the day during the commuting rush hour.
- Reduced visibility – due to the time of the commute, visibility could be an issue as dusk and dawn settle in. Be seen!! You should invest in a reflective vest. These can be reasonably priced and these reflective bibs are great and more stylish than a hi-viz vest. Reflective bands can also be a good addition.
- Personal safety – whilst walking to work is nothing to worry about, it is worth being vigilant and prepared in case the worse happens when you are walking along. It is worth staying in contact with someone and let them know you are walking and times they should expect. This is a good habit to get into the make sure you are well prepared. Carrying a personal alarm for peace of mind may be a good precaution.
Staying Motivated
There is no denying it, walking, especially walking alone, can get a little boring and it is easy to lose motivation and return to old habits are driving to work. There are several ways to stay motivated here and provide a distraction from the long road ahead and embed a lifelong beneficial habit of walking to work.
Listen to you Favourite Media
Walking is a great way to catch up on that podcast you have been missing, or finally listening to that audiobook you have been putting off. There is no denying that walking to work will give you time to put in some headphones and absorb your favourite media.
Media includes podcasts, audiobooks, music, news and radio. Whatever keeps you going then give it a go. Use the time to learn something new. Listen to a new language and learn.
It may be tempting to use this time to browse social media or watch videos but this should be avoided for safety reasons. Listening to something allows you to concentrate on your walk, stay safe and stay motivated.
Map Your Walk
There are loads of apps you can use to map your walk. MapMyWalk being one of them. This is a great way to get some good data about your walk. Depending on the type of person you are, this may be a huge catalyst in keeping your walking to work routine going. I love to nerd out of the data.
With mapping, you can set yourself little challenges each day such as beating your previous walking time, or increasing the number of steps day. Most of these apps have social connection too so you can compete (or compare if competition is not for you) with your friends and work colleagues.
Mix Up the Walking Route
Another simple strategy for motivation is to increase the number of different routes you take. Even taking a longer route may be a good strategy for keeping your walk to work routine fresh.
Conclusion
Walking is a great way to commute but it does favour people living within a couple of miles of the work place, otherwise commute time is increased fairly significantly.
However, if you want to commit to alternative commuting, walking can be a great way to mix it up, increase the daily step count and yield health benefits in abundance!!
