October 8 Meet-up CANCELED! Stay tuned for updates!

Ready. Set. Walk!

Looking for a way to stay active? Want to explore our west Orange Community? How about making new friends?  Have we got the program for you!

Join the West Orange Walkers.

Healthy West Orange, Orlando Health, and the YMCA of Central Florida have come together to offer monthly meetups, 5ks, and breakfasts, all across west Orange, and all year long!

Enjoy prizes, quarterly breakfasts, and so much more! Joining the West Orange Walkers not only gives you a chance to meet others and make friends, but share your health journey, and celebrate your successes!

One of the biggest benefits? The West Orange Walkers not only connects you with wonderful places to walk around the community, but also provides access to climate-controlled environments for you to enjoy. Florida weather can be tricky. It’s hot (very hot) for most of the year, and serious thunderstorms can erupt without warning. The Roper YMCA, and the West Oaks Mall offer options (see below for available dates and times by location) for you to walk inside, without worrying about the weather. Rain or shine, hot or cold, joining the West Orange Walkers is the perfect way to meet your friends and get in your steps.

Step 1:

Join us at a monthly meetup or breakfast (see schedule below) and make sure to return your registration card to be eligible for an indoor walking badge and all the goodies!

Step 2:

Enjoy walking throughout the community! Don’t forget to wear your badge if you are walking at the West Oaks Mall or YMCA, and track your laps, distance, or time active.

Step 3:

Keep motivated by joining us every month as we explore our favorite places to walk in west Orange. Meet up with other walkers and win some awesome prizes.

It’s FREE and FUN for the whole family!

West Oaks Mall is available to walkers starting at 9:00 am – 6:00 pm Monday through Saturday and 12:00 noon – 6:00 pm on Sundays.

Each lap = 0.78 miles or 4 laps for a 5K.

The Roper YMCA is available to walkers on Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30am-9am

19 laps = 1 mile around the basketball court!

Want to share your fitness journey and encourage others to join? Share a photo of yourself (and friends) walking on social media with #HWOWOW, #WestOrangeWalkers and/or #HealthyWestOrange, or email us at Westly@HealthyWestOrange.org.

Need an extra push to get motivated?

Check out all the health benefits of physical activity:

With new research and the release of the Second Edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans there are plenty of benefits that come from physical activity. While moving more and sitting less is the goal, lowering your blood pressure and improving your cardiovascular health to fight heart disease is important. New evidence also shows that physical activity has immediate health benefits, such as reduced anxiety, improved quality of sleep and insulin sensitivity. Furthermore, keeping up with physical activity consistently has even more long-term health benefits, like improved cognition, bone health, and fitness and heart health. It can also reduce the risk of depression.

Others include: prevention of 8 types of cancer (bladder, breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, stomach, and lung) and reduces the risk of dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease). So, keeping daily activity can improve your overall health and quality of life! Want even more info? Check out the Top 10 Things to Know About the Second Edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.