Whether you commute daily or are doing a one-off long trip, it’s is strongly advised to take a break if you are driving for an extended period.
Fatigue can affect a driver’s judgement and ability to concentrate. Your attention span decreases, plus you’re more likely to feel drowsy behind the wheel.
28th January 2025
According to the road safety charity Brake, up to 20% of all crashes are potentially down to driver fatigue. The organisation says that police figures which suggest that some 4% of fatal road crashes, plus 2% of all road collisions, are down to exhaustion could mask the real extent of the problem.
Taking sufficient breaks when you’re driving is essential, in fact Brake recommends stopping every couple of hours minimum.
Motorists who combine grabbing a coffee at a service station with a quick burst of exercise at an outdoor gym return to the road feeling energised and refreshed. It offers the perfect solution to stretch our legs, get the heart rate up and get the blood pumping after a spell in the car.
There are other benefits of these roadside work-out points, including:
If you drive long-distance for work, or because your job involves significant travel, you might not have much time for exercising in the standard way. But the dangers of sedentary lifestyles are well documented. And the links between not working out enough and risks of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis and some cancers are equally well known; there are also associations with cognitive decline and back pain.
Additionally, the NHS reports that sitting for extended periods could slow metabolism, which in turn affects our ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and break down body fat. There is insufficient current evidence to set a suggested maximum daily sitting time, but the UK government recommends adults exercise for 150 minutes weekly.
Long drives can be stressful and tedious. A quick mid journey workout offers huge benefits to mental health, it’s a fantastic stress reliever and will get endorphins flowing, boosting mood too.
Exercise also increases blood circulation in the brain, which is linked to improvements in attention. In fact, spending as little as 20 minutes a day on exercise can actually increase your overall productivity, decrease energy wasted from mental stress and improve frustration tolerance.
Children can get tetchy and bored on long car journeys and while many service stations offer play areas for the younger kids, they rarely offer anything for teens. Using an outdoor gym, even for 15 minutes, can work off their pent-up energy during a break, getting them off their screens and have some fun at the same time. They’re more likely to return to the car feeling ready for the next stage of the journey.
If you run a motorway services area, or a string of them, having the facilities which encourage drivers to stop at your location, will make your services a more attractive stop.
Provide extra amenities such as an outdoor gym at your facilities and you give people yet another reason to use your site.
Finally, once in place, outdoor exercise equipment requires very little maintenance. People just use it as and when they wish. And it can breathe new life into an otherwise underused part of your site.
Fresh Air Fitness is a pioneer in outdoor gym equipment across the UK, providing outdoor workout stations for varied clients including schools, councils, residential settings and others – including motorway services providers.
The latest example is the Welcome Break on the M1 at Rotherham in South Yorkshire where we recently installed some equipment for anyone passing by to use. We supplied all the gym equipment, as well as fencing and surfacing, plus associated signage.
The line-up of six smart-looking pieces in an area bordered with an elegant green fencing provides a comprehensive work-out for all ages and levels of ability and fitness. This open-air gym includes:
We offer an incredibly diverse number of outdoor gym equipment for children and adults so you can take your pick from more than 40 in total – all at competitive prices and with a 25-year warranty.
Contact us today to learn more about what we could do for your motorway services area.
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