To walk, or to run?
In other words, if you’re looking to improve your health, is it better to commit to an occasional all-out sweat fest, or incorporate more walking and moving into your day?

A study suggests there’s an answer to this years-old conundrum: It doesn’t matter.

Research from the American Heart Association suggests that it doesn’t matter as long as your workouts fall into one category: aerobic exercise – defined as any movement that raises your heart rate and gets you moving and sweating for a sustained period.

Source:
Moderate‐to‐Vigorous Physical Activity and All‐Cause Mortality: Do Bouts Matter?
Published 22 Mar 2018, Journal of the American Heart Association. 2018;7:e007678

Are you looking for a way to build walking into your weekly schedule?

Don’t be put off by the name Parkrun, walkers are always welcome to join. They organise free, weekly, 5km timed walks or runs. They are open to everyone, free, and are safe and easy to take part in. These are set up as events usually in pleasant parklands surroundings and are run by a volunteer network.

With 32 Parkruns held each Saturday morning throughout South Australia, there’s bound to be one near you. Search for one nearby you via their map at parkrun.com.au/events, or review the list below.

Not one near you? There might be soon, Parkrun is spreading rapidly throughout South Australia, having added 12 new events in the first 9 months of this year, since starting their first one here in SA in 2012.

Throughout October we’re celebrating walking with #walktoberSA

• Aldinga Beach
• Carisbrooke (Salisbury)
• Charleston
• Christies Beach
• Clare Valley
• Cleland (near Mt Lofty)
• Edithburgh
• Gawler
• Goolwa
• Jubilee Way (Wynn Vale)
• Kangaroo Island (Kingscote)
• Largs Bay
• Lochiel
• Mawson Lakes
• Meningie
• Moana
• Mount Barker
• Mount Gambier
• Murray Bridge
• Nuriootpa
• Pakapakanthi (near Victoria Park, Adelaide)
• Port Augusta
• Port Broughton
• Port Lincoln
• Renmark
• Reynella East
• Seacliff Esplanade
• Stebonheath (Andrews Farm)
• Strathalbyn
• Torrens (Adelaide)
• Victor Harbor
• West Beach

Walking can transform your life. Bill talks about how after suffering a stroke he felt pretty low, and to overcome how frustrated he felt he decided to start walking, at first doing small walks then slowly challenging himself to do more.

“Back then I felt pretty hopeless at walking, but now, the personal satisfaction cant be described really, it’s nature, the birds, the bees, the waterfalls, it’s freedom, it’s so beautiful. Everyday you see something that you don’t see the day before.”

Throughout October we’re celebrating walking with #walktoberSA

Transcript:

I suffered a stroke back in 2002, and for a long time I couldn’t walk and after about 12 months of that I got very frustrated, so I tried to have a go, and that’s why I started.

I was down on the beach, feeling pretty low, because I couldn’t walk properly, and I met a friend of mine, who I used to work with, who met me on the beach. He was doing a fitness walk, as people do, and he met me and wondered why I was stumbling. We got to talking and decided he would stay with me every day thereafter helping me to take another 10, 20 yards, climb these stairs, let’s not climb, let’s do another set, that’s just how it worked… and [I feel] very very lucky.

Walking now is almost a daily thing, I try and take one day off a week, I try and force myself to do that. Usually every day 7 or 8 k’s along the beach, and then once a week I try and get and up into the Hills or something and do 20 k 25 k hike.

The most challenging walk has probably been the Overland Trail in Tasmania. When I started hiking first my granddaughter joined me to help me hike, then my brother jumped in when she popped out and we both enjoyed it, so we decided to give the Overland Trail in Tasmania a go. Climbing up over Cradle Mountain and around the lake, and that was probably the most challenging, the rain, wind, you name it, we had it.

Back then I felt pretty hopeless at it, but now, the personal satisfaction cant be described really, it’s nature, the birds, the bees, the waterfalls, it’s freedom, it’s so beautiful. Everyday you see something that you don’t see the day before.

The Government of South Australia’s Active School Travel program Way2Go is joining in Walktober SA by supporting more families and children to walk to school.

Way2Go Walktober, from October 15 to 31, is a chance to practice new habits. Walk to school with your children – just once a week will make a difference:

• try once a week and build up
• take turns with other families to walk with kids and make it fun
• mix it up by riding a bike or scooter (You all can ride on the footpath)

Too far to walk the whole way? Park the car nearby and walk part of the way to school.

Read more tips, including about planning ahead and how to support your child at dpti.sa.gov.au/Way2Go/way2go_walktober

We know that using active travel to get to school is good for children’s physical health, as well as their growing brains, bones, muscles and imaginations!

Here at Walking SA we’re keen to see more children walking and cycling safely to school. View our Position Statement.

Throughout October we’re celebrating walking with WalktoberSA.

Shared via Beyond Blue:

Regular physical activity is a good way to help prevent or manage mild anxiety and depression. Keeping active can help you stay physically fit and mentally healthy.

Research shows that keeping active can:

• help lift mood through improved fitness and the release of natural chemicals in the brain
• help improve sleeping patterns
• increase energy levels
• help block negative thoughts and/or distract people from daily worries
• help people feel less alone if they exercise with others.

Physical activity increases your wellbeing. The current recommendation is at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most, and preferably all, days of the week. However, people with anxiety or depression may find it difficult to get started or get motivated, or continue to exercise on a long-term basis.

View Beyond Blue’s:

• tips to get started,
• examples of activities,
• or download their Activity Plan template.

beyondblue.org.au/get-support/staying-well/keeping-active

Throughout October we’re celebrating walking with #walktoberSA

Story via the Friends of the Heysen Trail.

Amelia writes of her family’s tradition of walking the Heysen Trail as a child – she was very much reluctant to do this, preferring to read books and make craft – and how by the time she was in high school she had well and truly caught the activity bug and to this day is still an active walker.

Last year she started walking the Heysen Trail as a family again, but this time with her own children. The great thing about the Heysen Trail is you don’t need to try and tackle it all at once, and can do short walks closer to Adelaide.

She asked her eight-year-old son his thoughts on the walks they’d done so far:

‘One of my favourite sections was the boggy bits. The others squelched into the mud probably because you’re bigger. But me, I got through easier and was dancing around waiting at the end of the bog.’

‘I liked the green and the tweeting of the birds. I liked going over the fields in the sunshine. I loved looking at the old mines with their deep, dark holes. I liked the feeling of the grass rustling against my leg because it was so long. I loved going through the valleys and hearing the echoes of our voices, cooo-eeee.’

Read the full article on the Friends of the Heysen Trail website.

Walking transforms lives. Psychologist Kylie Agnew talks about her work with Operation Flinders using adventure activities for therapeutic populations. She saw people experience positive transformation through walking.

“Some of the changes I’ve seen in people have been huge, with the young people I’ve worked with, both on Operation Flinders and in other programs, seeing them change from the start to the finish of the eight days out in the wilderness. It’s been really inspirational. I was lucky enough to travel the world to see how some of these programs run in all different remote parts of the world. There’s a lot of people using walking to help people all around the world.”

Throughout October we’re celebrating walking with #walktoberSA

Transcript:

The World Health Organization recommends that we all walk everyday. I think we should be doing as much walking as possible, obviously within our busy lives, but making time to walk everyday is going to be important, but also building walking into our lives so that we all can benefit from walking, whether it’s physical and emotional or psychological benefit.

There’s a lot of different research that’s been done on why walking is good for mental health. Some of it’s been based obviously on the physical side, having general health, meaning that you’re going to be healthier mentally, but there’s also a lot of research to show that serotonin and different hormones are released when we walk and when we exercise, and then I guess we’ve also got that relationship building which is obviously another protective factor for mental health, building friendships, building relationships by spending time together.

For me personally, I just love being in the outdoors. It’s been a passion of mine since I grew up on a farm, and also going to university and studying adventure activities then moving into using adventure activities for therapeutic populations.

Some of the changes I’ve seen in people have been huge, with the young people I’ve worked with, both on Operation Flinders and in other programs, seeing them change from the start to the finish of the eight days out in the wilderness. It’s been really inspirational. I was lucky enough to travel the world to see how some of these programs run in all different remote parts of the world. There’s a lot of people using walking to help people all around the world.