Heart Week 2015 is taking place from Sunday 3rd May – Saturday 9th May and is a great opportunity to highlight heart health issues in Australia. Traditionally Heart Week has focused on the warning signs of a heart attack, however this year, the initiative focuses on physical inactivity and the importance of active travel. Physical inactivity causes an estimated 16,000 deaths each year, and two out of three Australians aged 15 and over are either sedentary or have low levels of exercise. To celebrate Heart Week we held two events.
The Lake Boga Heart Foundation Walking group held an open invitation to the community to join them on their Monday morning walk. There were 16 people who took part and we made the most of the amazing weather and went for an hour long walk along the lake side. Then after the walk we called in at one of the group member’s houses for a morning tea. It was a great way to promote the group in the community and it was good to see a few new people joining in. We even had two men join the Boga Babes for the walk as well as two dogs. It was fabulous to see a community catching up and socializing while also taking part in physical activity at the same time. Walking can be a good gentle exercise option and it also has several benefits for the mental health and wellbeing of individuals. If you would like to join or form a walking group please contact Rachel at Health Promotion on 50339337.
Heart health is something that people of all ages should be thinking about, even children. Physical activity is important for maintaining a healthy heart for children. For Heart Week we encouraged students to be active on their way to school by walking, riding, skating or scooting to school. To motivate kids to do this we held an event at George Lay Park and invited students from St Mary's and Swan Hill North to travel to school via the park or to get their parents to drop them off at the park and use active transport methods to get to school from there. Despite the windy weather we had around 80 children visit us at George Lay Park on their way to school on Tuesday. It was lovely to see so many kids taking part and also parents being active with their children whether they were walking or riding alongside the kids on their way to school. Students found their way to school by following the map provided to them and also the chalk drawings on the path along the way.
For more information about Heart Week or heart health visit the Heart Foundation website www.heartfoundation.org.au.
