Wear trainers to work to boost activity levels

Organisations across Wales are giving permission to their employees to swap traditional work shoes for comfortable footwear such as trainers to help boost their physical activity levels, and the Vale is joining in.

Active Soles, a new campaign described as a “vibrant movement set to transform the way we work”, aims to support teams to be more active by filling their workplaces with energy and motion.

People working in offices are spending up to 75% of their working hours sitting which increases their risk of a variety of health conditions including obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 

Evidence shows that even if you exercise regularly, but spend the majority of the rest of your day sitting down, you can still be at risk of the health problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle.

This new cost-neutral campaign, which is backed by the leaders of each public sector organisation involved, aims to build a more active culture, empowering employees to ditch their work shoes in favour of more comfortable footwear to increase the likelihood of moving more during their day.  

The campaign group said in a statement: “Active Soles offers a simple, yet powerful way to keep employees on the move throughout the day. By wearing comfortable shoes, people are more likely to take those extra steps, opt for the stairs instead of the lift, and even stand during meetings.” 

The Council is one of the first organisations to get on board with Active Soles in Wales, along with Actif North Wales, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff Metropolitan University, and Cardiff Council.   

Rob Thomas, Chief Executive, said: “Active Soles is a simple way to help employees move more throughout the day, especially those whose jobs mean they sit a lot. When people wear comfortable shoes, they're more likely to get up and walk around, take the stairs instead of the lift, and stand up and stretch during meetings.”

Ben O’Connell, Director of Sport at Cardiff Metropolitan University, said: “Active Soles isn’t about setting a daily single target distance, as everyone has different health and fitness needs. Rather, this initiative allows people to incorporate movement during work time, in the attire, like comfortable shoes, that allows this to happen.

“At Cardiff Met, we want to make comfortable footwear and clothing the norm across the university to get staff moving, feeling healthier and part of an initiative they can commit to day to day.”

Manon Rees O’Brien, Director of Actif North Wales, said: “Actif North Wales is delighted to get behind Active Soles and encourage as many employers as possible across the region to take part and enable their colleagues to make time to move more during the working day.

“Exploring small ways that people can factor movement into their working pattern such as wearing more activewear in the workplace really can make a big difference in helping to change mindsets and routines when it comes to moving more at work.

“This could range from small steps such as taking time to regularly stretch away from the desk or taking in a lunchtime walk to enable everyone to be more active in the workplace, and to make this as accessible as possible for all – small changes really do add up over the course of a day and can make a big difference to our health and wellbeing.”

Clare Budden, Chair of the 2025 Movement to end avoidable health inequalities in North Wales, said: “Removing barriers to enable everyone to be more active is something that will be an important area of focus for the 2025 Movement going forward because we recognise the vital role of activity in improving health and wellbeing.

“Active Soles is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the benefits of moving more during the working day and to encourage people to be more mindful of how they could incorporate this more regularly into their daily routine.”

It is important in public facing roles for staff to look appropriately dressed. Active Soles acknowledges the importance of appropriate attire and emphasises that the wide range of trainers available, including smart 'corporate' styles, makes this initiative more achievable. In some other working areas, such as Neighbourhood Services, Building Services, and Social Services current health and safety arrangements will need to be maintained.

https://makeyourmove.org.uk/active-soles/