Want to get some rewards for getting active? NHS England has partnered with former Olympic medallist Sir Brendan Foster to create the ‘Movement 26.2’ scheme, designed to incentivize people to get active and log walks digitally to achieve rewards.
By logging 20-30 minutes of walking each day, the idea is that participants will have walked around 26.2 miles at the end of each month — equivalent to a marathon.
Details around the scheme are thin on the ground at the moment, but here’s everything we know so far — including the technology you’ll need.
What is the ‘Movement 26.2’ scheme?
Announced this morning (July 3) by Foster, who founded the Great North Run, the scheme is designed to incentivize and reward people to get active by encouraging people to complete daily walking targets, logged via their smart tech.
We know the UK Government is talking to high-street brands to help add ‘discounts and shopping vouchers’ into the mix, as well as digital rewards like streaks and badges, presumably delivered via an app.
You can probably expect longer streaks to earn freebies and special offers at high-street coffee chains and restaurants (although that might rather defeat the purpose) or vouchers to be spent at retailers.
When does the scheme start?
According to the BBC, the scheme is set to start ‘early next year’, although dates are to be confirmed at this stage.
What equipment do you need to track your steps?
The BBC article linked above states that ‘users will be able to log their walks online, or through their phone or smartwatch.’ Users will reportedly also be able to log walks online via browser.
While the best smartwatches and best fitness trackers are great for counting steps, you will be able to do it with the phone in your pocket too, as all modern smartphones have built-in pedometer functionalities. One advantage of smartwatches is that some models, such as the best Garmin watches, now have wheelchair modes that translate distances covered by wheelchairs from steps into an equivalent number of daily pushes. So in theory, wheelchair users can take part too.
Details of how exactly the logging is going to work are currently scarce, but ‘will be revealed in the coming months’. I assume there will be a dedicated Movement 26.2 app, perhaps with the ability to piggyback onto apps like Apple Health, Samsung Health or Google Health to share your step count. But this is just conjecture at this stage.
Otherwise, you’ll just need some comfortable clothes and shoes. If you plan to run instead of walk, you can check out our best running shoes guide.
