Pedestrian Council of Australia
Safety – Amenity – Access – Health

 


Monday 22nd September 2008

May and Brian put their feet first for
National Walk To Work Day – Friday 3 October 2008

 

‘By 2025, a total of 4.6 million Australians are projected to be obese’ 1 - Don’t be one of them!

Local residents May Watson and Brian Shaddick will be taking steps in the right direction on Friday 3 October, for National Walk to Work Day (WTWD). 

 

May said walking is such a simple activity, yet it seems the majority of Australians don’t do enough of it.  This is one of the key reasons that currently over half of the Australian population is overweight or obese.

 

“Our workplace, Australian Finance Group (AFG), is running a morning walk to Kings Park, followed by a healthy breakfast.  National Walk to Work Day is the perfect time to stop making excuses, do something good for yourself and develop a new healthy habit of regular physical activity,” said AFG Chief Executive Officer Brett McKeon.

 

National Walk to Work Day is held annually to remind all Australians that regular physical activity such as walking is a great way to not only avoid obesity but also a range of illnesses including high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes, arthritis and cancer.

 

The facts speak for themselves.  Access Economics estimates that productivity losses due to obesity are at $3.6 billion and a further $2 billion in health costs, while the combined financial costs of the obesity related ‘big three’ is $19.5 billion dollars per annum. (Diabetes $3 billion; cardio vascular disease $13.1 billion; and cancers $3.4 billion).                                                                                                                        
 
Meanwhile, 23.8% of Type 2 diabetes and 21.3% of Cardio Vascular Disease is caused by obesity. Obesity and being overweight are also important causes of cancer, particularly cancers of the colon (11%), breast cancer in post-menopausal women (9%), uterus (39%), kidney (25%), oesophagus (37%) and gall bladder (24%)

 

Walking along with other therapies can also be used to overcome mild to moderate depression which accounts for three to four days off work per month for each person experiencing depression – the equivalent of more than six million working days per year in Australia2. Undiagnosed depression costs $4.3 billion dollars in lost productivity annually3.

 

Brian said: “WTWD is truly an event for everyone.  Our workplace is 100 per cent behind this campaign because like many other public and private organisations across Australia, AFG believe the benefits of encouraging people to get fit and healthy by walking more, far outweighs the costs.  They regularly provide health and wellbeing activities, including subsidised personal training sessions.”

 

May and Brian remind other local residents that every step counts towards better health and cleaner air.   Organisations and individuals can register for Walk to Work Day at www.walk.com.au .   There is no cost to register or participate.

 

For more information or to set up a photo shot of May and Brian walking at Harold Boas Park West Perth, in preparation for Walk to Work Day, please contact:

 

Karen Kerlin                                                              Jonelle Kapsalos

PR Coordinator                                                         Marketing Manager

Walk to Work Day                                                     Australian Finance Group  

Phone 0414 443 964                                                  Phone 9420 7888