Help patients walk more often – with the
Heart Foundation

Chances are, some of your clients know they need to move more. They get it. They’ve heard it all. Movement supports health and wellbeing and can enhance longevity. However, the gap between ‘knowing’ and ‘doing’ can feel like a chasm.

Enter the Heart Foundation

The Heart Foundation, in collaboration with the Australian Podiatry Association, wants podiatrists to  help their clients through its Walking Program. This free, evidence-based initiative is designed to help anyone commit to their walking goals, with over 400,000 people registered across Australia.

There are plenty of options for you to explore:

1. Your client can opt to walk solo and instantly register online for a Personal Walking Plan.
2. Your client can join a local walking group.
3. You can start your own Heart Foundation Walking group to lead your clients and community towards better health and mobility.
4. You can join the Heart Foundation’s network of health professionals.

Why this approach works

You already know that encouraging your clients to walk regularly isn’t just about physical activity, it’s about creating opportunities for social connection and self-management to help prevent chronic disease.  Now, when walking is suggested as part of a free, community-based program led by the Heart Foundation – with over 800 groups already walking – your conversations may be more easily-actioned.

Why this matters right now

Given physical inactivity remains one of the biggest risk factors for heart disease in Australia, it can  help to remind your clients that the benefits of walking go far beyond cardiovascular health and chronic disease prevention.

Joining a walking group can help to:

• Rebuild confidence after injury or illness
• Reduce feelings of isolation by connecting with others
• Create a sense of routine and belonging, which is often just as important as physical recovery.

These outcomes also align perfectly  with the principles of social prescribing, with Heart Foundation Walking as one example of this shift. By working in partnership with podiatrists and other allied health professionals, we are helping to make walking a cornerstone of preventive care.

How it works

If you feel your clients may be interested in joining the Heart Foundation’s Walking program, here’s what you can do next:

1. Raise the topic of walking

Suggest walking as part of recovery or activity planning, with one option being to join a local

2. Chunk it down

If this feels a little overwhelming, remind your patients that their participation can start small with Heart Foundation Walking. Whether it’s short walks, solo walks, or familiar routes; there is no pressure here. Sustainability often comes from small steps.

3. Use the digital referral pathway

If your client is interested, you can use the one-minute online referral tool to connect them directly to the program. Once referred, they will receive tailored walking plans and motivational tips, to keep the momentum going without extra admin for you.

4. Share visual reminders

If your client wants some more time to think, there are plenty of ways to keep the topic of walking top of mind:

• Utilise the Heart Foundation’s resources, referral cards or posters or request flyers in your clinic
• Consider starting your own walking group to strengthen your connection with new and potential clients, (and position your clinic as a hub in the community).
• Join the health professionals’ ‘Heart Health Network’ for professional insights on heart health and tips on how to keep walking top of mind.

With the new year approaching, now is as good a time as any to encourage your clients to take their first steps towards a new active future! Thank you for helping to realise this outcome.