BRFR Cake Stop 'breaking news' miscellany

[BoldonLad]

It's not the sense of wanting to reward active travel & exercise, but the practicalities of how the incentives can be structured to target those who need to exercise most. Not easy nut to crack.

I predict, before the scheme actually gets going, it will be scuppered by complaints that "some people" will miss out on rewards, because their "health" precludes them from walking.

I think I have told this tale before, but... Many years ago, at the age of 49, I had a heart attack, obviously, I recovered. Subsequently, I made efforts to reduce my weight, BP, improve my fitness, etc. The BP proved stubborn. I was reluctant to increase medication (being wary of side effects of medication). After many months, my GP, told me of an "exercise scheme trail, being run by local NHS". It is how got back into cycling. It was not well attended (typically 4 - 6 of us would turn up). Although it did the trick for me, it petered out for lack of support.

 

[Pross]

A lot of sense in there, especially the bit quoted below. I think I've shared this anecdote before but just in case...
I have two friends who live in North America who visited me last year. Neither can walk more than 500m. Why?
Nothing medical to stop them other than relying on motorised transport (cars) for decades and doing zero exercise during that period.

"Access to a car and “motonormativity” means that people default to being sedentary as drivers or passengers in cars rather than considering active travel. Perhaps a more effective incentive system could reward a modal shift for some journeys from car travel to walking, wheeling, cycling, or public transport. It would require safety improvements and other practical changes to infrastructure, but strong evidence shows that active travel improves mental and physical health."

Not sure how sitting on a bus or train is less sedentary than sitting in a car. OK, they may have to walk a bit further to a bus stop but this feels like a cop out.

 

[briantrumpet]

I can’t argue with that. However, let’s be honest. The rewards will only end up going to those who are already active. Thanks!
The lazy feckers will remain lazy.

That was the paper's and my initial point.

 

[Pblakeney]

That was the paper's and my initial point.

…which I agreed with in my first response. 😉

 

[Pblakeney]

Not sure how sitting on a bus or train is less sedentary than sitting in a car. OK, they may have to walk a bit further to a bus stop but this feels like a cop out.

Fair point but the simple fact is that cars are not the solution.

 

[Beebo]

I am not cat expert, but, isn't 19 years old rather old for a cat?

Does this open up. couple of possibilities/questions:

1. Accusations of unreasonably extending the age for receiving Cat-State-Pension
2. The real possibility that Larry will die in. service, requiring a State Funeral, and a National Holiday for a period of mourning, has this been budgeted for?

😂

Is it definitely the same cat?

 

[icowden]

Not sure how sitting on a bus or train is less sedentary than sitting in a car. OK, they may have to walk a bit further to a bus stop but this feels like a cop out.

I think that's exactly it. It's a 6 minute walk to my nearest bus stop. That's 1500 steps more than just getting in my car.
Admittedly that stop is only useful if I want to go to Kingston, St Peters Hospital or Hersham.

To go to Weybridge or the town centre or somewhere exotic like Cobham which takes two busses, I'd need to do a 14 minute walk - so around 4000 steps.

For Esher, I've got a 26 minute walk - that's the best part of an hour of walking, so about 8000 steps unless I choose take both a bus and a train.

All of these routes take far, far, longer than driving of course.

 

[BoldonLad]

Is it definitely the same cat?

No idea, may be digital-id would have helped? 😂

I was just going off the caption to the photograph, which may not have been genuine for all I know.

 

[Pross]

I think that's exactly it. It's a 6 minute walk to my nearest bus stop. That's 1500 steps more than just getting in my car.
Admittedly that stop is only useful if I want to go to Kingston, St Peters Hospital or Hersham.

To go to Weybridge or the town centre or somewhere exotic like Cobham which takes two busses, I'd need to do a 14 minute walk - so around 4000 steps.

For Esher, I've got a 26 minute walk - that's the best part of an hour of walking, so about 8000 steps unless I choose take both a bus and a train.

All of these routes take far, far, longer than driving of course.

You probably get closer to your destination at the other end than if you drove though. There's usually a bus stop outside any major destination.

 

[AuroraSaab]

After many months, my GP, told me of an "exercise scheme trail, being run by local NHS". It is how got back into cycling. It was not well attended (typically 4 - 6 of us would turn up). Although it did the trick for me, it petered out for lack of support.

Lots of GP surgeries and local groups have walking schemes already. Many offer free Slimming World classes too. It's notoriously difficult to change habits and the NHS are using the 'nudge' technique as their mode of operation. I can see why but I just can't see the results being significant or value for money. They'd get better results taxing pies.

 

[icowden]

Lots of GP surgeries and local groups have walking schemes already. Many offer free Slimming World classes too. It's notoriously difficult to change habits and the NHS are using the 'nudge' technique as their mode of operation. I can see why but I just can't see the results being significant or value for money. They'd get better results taxing pies.

Not sure they would. Research tends to show that reward is more effective than punishment.

Yes it's hard to change habits, and yes many of the rewards might be claimed by those that don't need to change their habits, but I suspect that it will be cost effective even if only say 10% of people who don't do exercise start doing exercise. Preventative healthcare is much, much cheaper than fixing problems after the fact.

 

[briantrumpet]

Interesting. Even if the subjects obviously knew what group they were in (impossible to do a double blind experiment).

https://www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/electric-stoves-asthma

 

[AuroraSaab]

Not sure they would. Research tends to show that reward is more effective than punishment.

The punishment of high cost seems to work with cigarettes and, in some countries, with alcohol.

Preventative healthcare is much, much cheaper than fixing problems after the fact.

Agreed but I think it has to be a bit of both carrot and stick. Lots of people struggle to self regulate and changing certain habits is very hard. I'm not sure what the solution with exercise is as it's probably one of the hardest things to get people to do consistently.

 

[icowden]

The punishment of high cost seems to work with cigarettes and, in some countries, with alcohol.

You obviously don't go to the same newsagents that I do. It's not the rich people buying the cigarettes and vapes.

 

[BoldonLad]

You obviously don't go to the same newsagents that I do. It's not the rich people buying the cigarettes and vapes.

You missed out the “scratchy”. Standard order “20 fags and a scratchy” in our local shop. 😊