How to get started...

for walkers

Check out the resources below if you need a few tips to help get you back on track.

Walking Tip Sheets

Walking & Physical Activity (107 KB)

Walking Tips to Get Started (48 KB)

Walking Tips for… (39 KB)

Walking Ideas & Incidental Walking (59 KB)

Pedometers (73 KB)

Walking & Healthy Eating (46 KB)

Safety (99 KB)

Sun Protection (43 KB)

Footwear (41 KB)

Starting Your Own Walking Group (75 KB)

Where to Get Help & Information (43 KB)

Walk the Dog (PDF) 

 
Walking with children 

There is overwhelming evidence that when children walk or cycle to school, they are better off physically and importantly in terms of their social and emotional wellbeing.  However, since the early 1970s, there has been a dramatic decline in walking to school and a reduction in walking generally.

Today, more than 60% of primary school students are driven to school even though 44% of these trips are less than 2 km. Current research shows that 25% of children aged 5 – 17 are overweight or obese.  It is important to encourage children to walk from a young age to put them on track for better health in later life.  How can we turn this around?  For information, ideas and resources, please visit www.victoriawalks.org.au/Walking_with_children/

Walk more (850 KB)

The Walk More leaflet includes clear, inspiring text about walking more and the benefits you will gain Walking the way to Health. 

Walking for good health (45 KB)

Walking can improve health and fitness. Walking can help you lose body fat and maintain a healthy weight, improve your fitness and reduce your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers. To get the health benefits, try to walk for at least 30 minutes as briskly as you can most days of the week. This information has been sourced from the Better Health Channel in consultation with Kinect Australia.

Preventing Walking Injuries (375 KB)

This information has been sourced from Smartplay Victoria.  Visit www.smartplay.com.au

Tips to overcome barriers (46 KB)

Finding the time and interest to build physical activity into your daily life can sometimes be difficult. We can all come up with lots of excuses to avoid exercise. We’ve looked at some of the common barriers people raise, and offer some tips on how to move past them. This information has been sourced from the Better Health Channel in consultation with Kinect Australia.

Get Walking Keep Walking (1090 KB)

This booklet tells you how you can start to enjoy the benefits of doing more walking, including: • an easy 12-week walking plan to get you started • practical advice • reasons to walk, facts and figures • and true life stories to get you • motivated • advice on getting children walking.  Visit The Ramblers' Association www.ramblers.org.uk/gwkw/

Links to other walking websites

  • Victoria Walks

    Victoria Walks is a walking health promotion charity funded and supported by VicHealth.  Our mission is to promote the health of all Victorians by increasing the number of people who walk every day.

  • Better Health Channel

    www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/

    The Better Health Channel provides online consumer focused health and medical information. All information is quality-assured, reliable and regularly reviewed. Better Health Channel content is developed in consultation with content partners – reputable health organisations with specialised knowledge in a particular topic area.

  • Physical Activity for Everyone

    http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines

    Provides clear information on key health and physical activity topics. CDC.gov (www.cdc.gov) is the official Web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC.gov provides direct access to important health and safety topics, scientific articles, data and statistics, tools and resources.

Just walking...

Want to walk—but not sure where?  Check out Walktober's list of events for walking activities in your neighbourhood.