It's nearly time to pull on your sneakers for heart health.
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The Heart Foundation's Tamworth Walking Group (Tamworth Trekkers) and Tamworth Cardiovascular Working Group are inviting the Tamworth community to join the Heart Week Walk on Tuesday, May 7.
Setting off at 7:30am with a river walk through Tamworth's Bicentennial Park, the walk will be followed by light refreshments, blood pressure checks and an AED demonstration.
Heart Week is Australia's national heart health awareness week, and is held in the first week of May each year.
It gives health professionals and the Australian public the opportunity to start a conversation about heart health and take positive steps towards reducing heart disease risk.
The Heart Foundation will also launch its biggest-ever physical activity campaign, Walking Wins, to encourage 400,000 Australians to get moving and improve their heart health.
Heart disease is a largely preventable condition yet remains a leading cause of death in Australia.
Dr Daniel Rankmore, General Practitioner at Tamworth's Tallowwood Health said many people are not aware of their risk factors for heart disease and some risk factors like high blood pressure and high cholesterol can be silent.
"It is vital for the community to take time to focus their attention on the prevention and management of chronic conditions such as heart disease," Dr Rankmore said.
"Walking can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease. It's an ideal form of physical activity because it's free, accessible, and can be done almost anywhere. Achieving 30 minutes of walking each day can significantly lower your risk of heart disease and support overall well-being."
According to the National Health Survey, only 1 in 5 five (22.4pc) adults aged 18-64 years meet the recommended levels of physical activity set out in the Australian Physical Activity Guidelines.
Walking for an average of 30 minutes or more a day can lower the risk of heart disease, stroke by 35pc percent and Type 2 diabetes by 40pc.
CEO of the Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network, Richard Nankervis, said health data shows one in four Australian deaths is due to cardiovascular disease.
"Knowing that walking is a simple and effective activity that can drastically reduce the risk of heart disease, we encourage the community to join us to enjoy a walk, a talk with our health professionals, and have a blood pressure check," Mr Nankervis said.
Robyn Barton, walking leader with the Tamworth Trekkers Walking Group, said the group has a membership approaching 50 active walkers who meet twice weekly on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
"The group enjoy the opportunity of coming together to meet others and enjoy the social interaction with each other while at the same time improving their heart health. The social connection continues after each walk with coffee at a nearby cafe," she said.
"The group caters for a variety of paces and lengths, choosing walks along the river or nearby more challenging paths for those preferring a more strenuous start to the day."
Registration is free through the Heart Foundation Walking website.
