Heart Foundation Walking is Australia’s largest free walking program. We have helped more than 100,000 Australians walk their way to better heart health since the program began here in Queensland in 1995. The program has over 8,000 active participants across Queensland. Walking with a Heart Foundation Walking group is free, widely accessible and great for physical and mental wellbeing.
The Heart Foundation has implemented a national and cross-functional COVID-19 response. Sadly, we have had to place our walking groups on hold until 31 May, and this is likely to be extended (TBD). The pause in the program is the only responsible stance for us to take, in accord with the best public health advice, and evolving public policy responses to COVID-19. Our program pause is particularly pertinent given that many of our participants in Queensland are over 65 years of age, and we wish to protect them from risk. Our walking group participants derive significant benefit from their participation in Heart Foundation Walking – providing both physical and also mental health benefits such as social support and companionship.
Heart Foundation Walking will continue to support our community through ongoing communication with participants, Walk Organisers and Host Organisations via regular emails and EDMs, encouraging them to be active in other ways, to reach out to their walking group friends, to support one another, and ask for help if needed. We are also communicating with the broader community on the importance of staying active while self-isolating, quarantined or working from home and we will implement education and promotion about ways to stay active while at home.
The Heart Foundation is using our social media channels and website for:
- Providing practical heart health tips
- Heart Healthy recipes
- Tips on staying active (home workouts)
- Tips on staying positive/motivated
- News & alerts on heart health, and
- Daily isolation tips.
The Heart Foundation will continue to produce useful resources such as our walking webinars and the Heart Healthy Exercise Program.