It's a line from a song, but it's a good one and would have been very apt for anyone who took on The Bloody Long Walk from Belmont to Newcastle beach on Sunday.

The event is held at 10 locations throughout Australia and raises funds to find a cure for Mitochondrial Disease.

It was a 35-kilometre effort that would have taken many the better part of the day and would also have been anything but a walk in the park.

But it is heartening to see so many people doing something for their own health as well as to help others.

That's a really great thing about our community: There are no shortage of events to take part in which can help yourself and others along the way.

As much as I love running, there are so many benefits to walking. It is something a lot of people can do and is a good starting point for anyone wanting to get back into fitness with spring then summer looming.

Whether you are walking the dog, walking the kids to school, going for a walk in your lunch break or walking to the shops instead of driving, it is all beneficial.

Most local running events, such as the Lake Macquarie Running Festival on August 25, don't have to be run. There are plenty of walkers who participate and reap the benefits as well.

The Heart Foundation says walking is one of the most popular forms of activity. It lists these benefits of walking:

Reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke; managing weight, blood pressure and cholesterol; preventing and controlling diabetes; reducing your risk of developing some cancers; maintaining your bone density; and improving balance and coordination.

It also says walking "helps you feel stronger, more energetic, happier and improves your overall quality and enjoyment of life".

Heart Foundation Walking (walking.heartfoundation.org.au) offers various walking groups across Australia to join and a walking app that helps track your steps.

Steptember is also coming up. It involves tracking your steps for the month of September with the aim of doing 10,000 each day for 28 days to raise funds to help people with cerebral palsy. Find out more at steptember.org.au.

Commando Steve from The Biggest Loser will be in Newcastle this weekend to host his first Coaching Zone group personal training session.

He has joined Coaching Zone as its newest brand ambassador and will be running the Commando Steve X Coaching Zone Super Saturday Session.

It is open to local women and men aged 18 years and over and is free. The session has been designed to cater to all fitness levels and will be held in August 3 at 8am at Cooks Hill's Coaching Zone, which is located within Genesis Fitness Cooks Hill on Tooke Street.

Bookings are based on first-come basis and must be reserved through www.eventbrite.com.au/e/commando-steve-coaching-zone-super-saturday-session-tickets-66157560043.

Super Saturday Session with Commando Steve, Cooks Hill Coaching Zone, August 3: A free one-of-a-kind, Commando-approved Super Saturday Session for all fitness levels. Bookings are essential.

Lake Macquarie Running Festival, Lake Macquarie, August 25: Celebrating its 35th year, this running festival offers a range of distances. There is a 21.1-kilometre half marathon, 10.5km and kids 4km.

Variety Spin 4 Kids, The Forum at University of Newcastle, September 13: Get together a team or go solo for six hours to raise funds for kids who are sick, disadvantaged of have special needs in the region.

Walking has many benefits for your overall health and there is plenty of ways to add variation to a walking workout.

If starting out, it might be walking around your block once a day. You can track your progress by seeing how far you get in an allocated amount of time or vice versa. Write it down each week to see if there is any change.

Make it harder by adding some hills or stairs. Or you could make it an interval session, which is where you walk slow for a portion of time then walk faster. This might be 20 minutes of walking slow for one minute followed by fast walking for one minute.

Send your health and fitness news to r.valentine@newcastleherald.com.au.

Renee Valentine is a writer, qualified personal trainer and mother of three.