What is it?

Active Soles is a movement to change the way we think about workwear. Active workplaces lead to happier, healthier people which in turn leads to greater creativity, better problem solving and improved productivity. We’ve joined the Active Soles movement to make wearing comfortable shoes in the workplace the norm, not the exception.

How many of us wear comfortable shoes to get to work and then swap to our smart shoes or take your trainers with you to work and swap shoes for a lunchtime walk and then change back again?  Imagine a world where you don’t have to! Where everyone is wearing their comfortable shoes and feeling happy and confident to move more in their own way – that world is coming with Active Soles!

How does Active Soles work?

It’s simple:

– It’s about making a small change to make a big difference

– It’s about encouraging you to Move More in your working day

– It’s about giving you permission to wear comfortable shoes that you can move in (this could be your trainers, flat shoes – whatever you’re comfortable in that helps you to move more)

– It’s about finding your way to move, every day – walk, wheel, push we can all find a way

– It’s about telling people about how great you feel by moving and all the benefits you experience

– It’s about inviting others to join in

Where did it start?

The Active Soles movement started in Greater Manchester, England, when two leaders within the Council had a conversation about why they felt the need to wear uncomfortable shoes to work in order to feel professional. They realised that this was a problem that many people faced, and they decided to do something about it. You can read about the Greater Manchester journey here – #activesoles

Since then, the Active Soles movement has grown to include people from all over the world.

How can you get involved?

Get your HR teams and comms teams involved, in fact get everyone involved. There’s sure to be some early adopters who already wear their comfortable shoes to work – if you’re one of them, help spread the message and influence your peers! This needs to be a part of your organisation’s culture, not a one-week campaign.

Cardiff Met University, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, and Cardiff Council have all signed up. We are also working with businesses and organisations to create a more supportive environment for people who want to wear comfortable shoes to work.

We are asking business leaders across Cardiff and Vale to give permission to and encourage their staff to wear active soles at work and lead by example.

Think about wearing comfortable shoes allows you to:

– Have more walking / moving meetings.

– It’s an inclusive movement, it’s about movement in a way that’s right for you – not completing a marathon

– Get outside on your lunch breaks, walk, wheel, push – feel inspired with your active soles

– Build some movement into your long group meetings / board meetings, it could be as simple as moving around the room you are in or even better take a movement break and get outside

Send us some photos of you, your colleagues and teams getting involved and wearing your active soles. Tag us on social media and use #ActiveSoles #SgidiauSymud

Contact Us

If you are interested in joining the Active Soles movement, contact us on getting your organisation signed up. – movemorecardiff@cardiffmet.ac.uk

Together, we can change the way we think about workwear and create a healthier, more active city! Make your Move Cardiff!