‘Daily Mile’ round campus aims to improve staff health

Published On Wed 30 May 2018 by Grant Hill

University of Dundee staff are being encouraged to step away from their desks, slip on suitable footwear and ramble round their beautiful campus as part of a new initiative to improve health and wellbeing.

Professor Sir Pete Downes, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University, will lead staff members on a walk to launch the Daily Mile scheme tomorrow lunchtime. The initiative aims to promote the many benefits of walking to members of the University community and inspire them to build physical activity into their day-to-day routine.

The inaugural Daily Mile walks take place at any time between 12noon and 2pm, when staff are invited to complete the ‘Campus Circular’ route bordering the main campus at a pace that suits them.

The initiative follows a pilot project delivered by the Institute of Sport and Exercise (ISE) in partnership with the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, which showed that incorporating a mile’s walk into a person’s work routine has a positive effect on both mental and physical wellbeing. 

“I am delighted to welcome staff from different Schools and departments to participate in the Daily Mile launch,” said Sir Pete. “Enhancing personal development, health and wellbeing of staff supports our aim to become a high performance community and Scotland’s leading University. The Daily Mile initiative will help staff to make regular physical activity a part of their daily working routine.”

Feedback from the Daily Mile pilot highlighted the positive impact the walks had on mood, concentration and energy levels, with a related impact on participant’s work capacity.

Walking a mile or more each day has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, asthma and strokes. It can also help to make people feel happier, reduce stress, build self-esteem and lead to a good night’s sleep.

The Campus Circular borders the University’s city campus. Staff leading on the Daily Mile initiative have highlighted a series of other lunchtime walks of varying lengths that colleagues can enjoy. These can be found at https://blog.dundee.ac.uk/one-dundee/daily-mile/.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
Tel: +44 (0)1382 384768
Mobile: 07854 953277
Email: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk