New program to encourage regular walking, reduce heart disease

New data reveals Australians have alarmingly high complacency about physical activity and heart health, but a new program aims to change that.

The Heart Foundation has launched a program to motivate more people to take up regular walking, as new research reveals Australians’ alarmingly high complacency about physical activity and heart health.

In a Heart Foundation survey of more than 7000 Australian adults, 65 per cent said they knew that exercise could lower their risk of heart disease, the nation’s single leading cause of death.

Yet concerningly, two-thirds of these people also said they did not meet physical activity guidelines – 30 minutes of moderate physical activity five or more days a week.

At the same time, 44 per cent of survey respondents said they have been told by their doctor that they need to be more active.

Generic image of a doctor examining a patient's heart beat with a stethoscope.

Heart Foundation Group CEO adjunct professor John Kelly said one in two Australians aged 18 to 64, almost eight million people, were not active enough for good heart health.

“This is extremely concerning given physical inactivity is a key risk factor for heart disease, which takes 50 Australian lives each day, or one every 29 minutes,” he said.

In Toowoomba the heart disease death rate is 66.8 per 100,000 people, which is 7% below the state average.

But other statistic show 23.7 per cent of adults have high blood pressure, two-thirds are not physically active enough, close to 33 per cent are obese and 15.4 per cent smoke.

To encourage more Australians to get moving, the Heart Foundation has today launched its personal walking plans.

In this free, six-week program, participants will receive a walking plan tailored to their current activity levels, as identified during an easy, two-minute sign-up process.

Plans will be delivered via weekly emails and texts, which are designed not only to support and motivate participants, but also to deliver information about the many benefits of walking beyond fitness and heart health.

“This is a vital component of the personal walking plans, because as our survey shows, simply understanding that physical activity is good for the heart does not equate to getting off the couch,” Mr Kelly said.

“Over this six-week journey with us, participants will learn about some of the lesser-known benefits of regular walking, like unwinding at the end of a stressful day; exploring their neighbourhood; becoming stronger and more flexible; and improving their mood.”

To get started with a free Heart Foundation personal walking plan, visit walking.org.au.