Heart Week 2024, Australia’s national heart health awareness week is coming up – 6-12 May 2024.
Supporting heart health awareness it was great to see the promotion of walking for heart health published recently in the Ballarat Times.
Barry Nixon, a coordinator for Heartbeat Ballarat walking, started the group because the need was clear through his volunteering as a lived experience educator with new cardiac patients.
“To live well with cardiac illness, you must move,” he said.
Mr Nixon leads four weekly walks with eighty-five participants enjoying not only the physical benefits but also the social connections.
“The social connection is the bonus; it inspires and motivates,” he said.
“We walk, talk, go for coffee, and repeat. My reward is seeing the disease burden decline and the wellness and quality of life improve.”