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The Luncheon Club’s new walking group is aiming to get people on their feet. Stella Di Laudo is eager to get people moving. And as the driving force behind a newly-formed walking group for people living with HIV, she’s doing just that reports Reg Domingo in SX on 15 April 2009.

Di Laudo, 31, is part of the team at Positive Central in Redfern, an allied health agency catering for HIV-positive people living in the Sydney South West area. As the organisation’s resident physiotherapist, she leads a new walking group that meets every Wednesday before lunch at The Luncheon Club.

“The idea behind it is to get people moving and to provide education on exercise,” Di Laudo tells SX.

Recently, it was revealed that Australia was the fattest country per capita in the world. And chronic lifestyle ailments such as diabetes and heart disease are on the rise. Regular physical exercise is a simple and effective way to improve one’s health and wellbeing and for Di Laudo, this is why the walking group is timely and important. She hopes that by integrating the walk with The Luncheon Club, participants can adopt the activity as part of their weekly routine.

“As far as the activities go, it’s nothing like extreme weight loss programs you see in reality television shows, but it is something that is easy enough to do. We’re looking to establish some routine for the participants that’s actually part of the norm and not just a one-off thing.”

Participants meet an hour before the lunch starts at 12pm for a 30-minute walk around the area. The walk is followed by some simple stretching exercises.

In time, Di Laudo hopes to guide the progress of participants as their level of fitness increases.

Leading a healthy lifestyle and being active has always been a major part of Di Laudo’s work. With more than eight years experience in physiotherapy, she has worked in most strands of the discipline from intensive care to post-surgery rehabilitation. Di Laudo took up a post with Positive Central over a year ago, inspired by the organisation’s holistic approach to health and wellbeing. “Positive Central provides allied health support – allied being non-medical,” she says. “We provide services ranging from physiotherapy and occupational therapy to dietary and social work, among other things. People can self-refer to our services but we’re also referred to either by GPs, clinics, hospitals, or people hear about us through things like The Luncheon Club. We’re here to help in every way.”

Di Laudo says that the walking group is a perfect fit for those attending The Luncheon Club. By combining the two, people get an easy, low-impact workout followed by a healthy, nutritious meal.

“The food at The Luncheon Club is always fresh and healthy and the people there do amazing work,” she says. “The walk will kick-start people’s metabolism and make them burn the food quicker ... Come along and give it a go. There’s no obligation to come again. Even if I can just teach you something about exercise, or give you some tips on how you can do it your own way, it’s all just about looking after yourself.”

The Luncheon Club Walking Group meets every Wednesday at 11am. The Luncheon Club is located at 77 Kellett Street, Waterloo. For more information, contact (02) 9395 0444.

Source: http://sxnews.e-p.net.au/feature/step-right-up-5318.html