BHF BRIGHTON BIKE RIDE
THE British Heart Foundation (BHF) is urging people in the North West to snap out of their winter blues, as new figures show that around three fifths (58%) are holed up indoors, spending a maximum of two hours outdoors in an average working day.
With spring looming, the heart research charity has released the statistics to encourage people to get outdoors by signing up to its iconic London to Brighton bike ride on Sunday, June 17.
The BHF discovered that a fifth (18%) of residents don’t leave the office at all for at least four days a week and around three fifths (58%) spend a maximum of two hours outdoors in an average working day.
Instead, people in the North West have stayed inside, with just over two fifths (41%) owning up to having stayed in their pyjamas all day and a third (33%) changing from work attire to pyjamas the moment they walk through the door.
The same proportion (35%) have also confessed to flaking on friends and family and cancelling plans to relax at home. Around a quarter (25%) have admitted to getting a takeaway because it was too cold to go to the shops and a fifth (22%) have failed to go to the gym, on a run or cycle ride because it’s too cold.
Across the UK, women are more likely to take cover in the winter months. Women are twice as likely than men to have stayed in pyjamas from the moment they wake up to when they go to bed (55% vs 27%) and are almost twice as likely to change into them as soon as they get home from work (54% vs 23%).
Half of women (49%) also confessed to cancelling on a social activity to stay at home and unwind.
But people in the region are concerned about how much time they are spending inside at work and home, with over half (55%) of residents worried that they are not getting enough fresh air and sunlight in the average working week.
The BHF wants to start a spring awakening by encouraging everyone to get in the great outdoors and take on its flagship event, the London to Brighton Bike Ride, and join the fight against heart disease.
We are all guilty of going into hibernation mode during the winter months, but now as the days are getting longer and the mercury levels rise, this is the perfect time to saddle up and embrace the outdoors.
Our London to Brighton Bike Ride is a great goal to work towards as an individual or team and you can fit your training around your schedule.
Whether you choose to commute into work by bike or pedal miles through the city, coast or countryside at the weekend, step away from your four walls and explore the great outdoors.
With 850,000 people living with heart and circulatory disease in the North West, every pound you raise will help make a difference to millions. The BHF’s London to Brighton Bike Ride has taken place for over 40 years and is Europe’s oldest charity cycling event.
It’s a fantastic chance for families, friends and colleagues to enjoy a funfilled day out, cycling through some of the UK’s most stunning sceneries.
It’s not a race – it’s a ride for the fast and the fall behinds, the solo riders and the team players. This year’s event is sponsored by Jaffa Fruit and will take place on Sunday 17 June.
By taking part in the London to Brighton Bike Ride you will help power ground-breaking research to bring new hope to the seven million people living with heart and circulatory disease in the UK.
To sign up for this year’s London to Brighton Bike Ride, visit bhf.org.uk/ l2bbr