Heart&Stroke Walkabout™  is an initiative of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia, Department of Health and Wellness and the Ecology Action Centre.

Our goal is to help Nova Scotians discover the magic of walking and realize the physical and mental benefits of walking within their communities. It’s about changing the way we think about walking—putting feet back on the streets and walking back in the hearts and minds of Nova Scotians.

The program supports thousands of Nova Scotians to walk and gain momentum every day. Since the program launched in 2007:

• Organizations and individuals have purchased 5712 pedometers to track their steps.
• We’ve partnered with Nova Scotia [email protected] sites and Nova Scotia libraries to provide 1100 pedometers, which can be borrowed for 3 weeks at a time. To date, pedometers have been borrowed 3500 times.
• 4,000+ people just like you have joined the Walkabout website, logged more than 1.3 billion steps, and created over 600 routes and groups for members to explore.
• We’ve trained close to 400 Leaders to coordinate walking groups in workplaces and communities across Nova Scotia.
• We’ve provided 3 awards celebrating great community work to support walkability.
• We’ve provided grants to 6 communities to support walking efforts.

Find out more about how Heart&Stroke Walkabout™ is supporting communities, workplaces and schools to be more active through walking.

At a glance

The long term goal of Heart&Stroke Walkabout™ is to increase the percentage of Nova Scotians who walk 30 to 60 minutes, most days of the week, for health benefits or as a mode of active transportation. Evidence from successful physical activity initiatives nationally and internationally has helped inform the approach for this made-in-Nova-Scotia initiative. Its components include:

• An interactive website to support walkers
• A pedometer lending program through Nova Scotia libraries and [email protected] (Community Access Program) sites;
• Tools and resources for workplace and community walking programs (link to workplace and community page)
• Resource materials to support activity among youth in Nova Scotia
• Supporting and encouraging more walkable communities through community walkability awards and grant funding opportunities  (link to awards and grants)
• Resources for walking and physical activity
• Celebrating and supporting walking in Nova Scotia
• A social marketing campaign focusing on the benefits of walking