Walking might boost economy!

In a recent report published by RAND Europe and health insurance group -Vitality, it is explained how every employee of a company can boost the economy if he/she walks or jogs for an extra 15 minutes each day. The report focuses on economic benefits of a more physically active population. The report suggests that the economic boost will take place due to three mechanisms - regular physical activity, health benefits and decreased risk for chronic conditions. Walking daily will increase the amount of regular physical activity which will result in health benefits and decrease the chances of suffering from a chronic disease.  It will also help an individual to be mentally healthy and get rid of anxiety and depression. According to the report, these health gains will result in reduced mortality, therefore people will live longer, work more for which the overall labour force would grow in addition to economy. Christopher van Stolk, RAND’s executive vice president and co-author of the report said, "Despite the documented positive effects of exercise, insufficient physical activity has become more common over the past decades. The evidence shows that we can create healthier and more prosperous societies. Creating enduring change in physical activity is hard. There are significant barriers to change”. Currently 30% of the global population is physically inactive and there are 5 million deaths linked to physical inactivity each year. A small change in a regular habit can make a lot of things better, both for personal growth and the economy. 

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